McLeod County has reached contract agreements with two of its employee unions — the Teamsters Highway and Teamsters Clerical workers.

The County Board voted unanimously to ratify the contracts for both, effective Dec. 23, 2007, to Dec. 18, 2010. A summary provided by County Auditor Cindy Schultz notes the contracts include:
• an increase in the county’s contribution to health insurance of $100 per month,
• an annual general cost-of-living increase of 4 percent, and
• a 1.5-percent annual increase for employees not already at the top of their wage scale.

“I’m very pleased with the negotiations,” said Leland Johnson, a business agent with the Teamsters union Local 320. “They county took some positive steps to help with retention and keep McLeod County from being more than a training ground.”

The county has long had a problem keeping some experienced employees, who often leave for higher-paying jobs in neighboring counties.

“They did move some of the lower-paid wages up higher … and the movement in the health-care contribution was critical,” Johnson said.

For more on this story, see the Leader’s May 7 print edition.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)