County and P.O.L.C. union cannot close wage gap before hearing
There is still no deal between members of the Police Officers Labor Council and the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners. The two sides have been trying to negotiate a deal since early last year but were forced to go to arbitration. The hearing, which lasted nearly five hours, was conducted Monday at the Presque Isle County Courthouse, but not without an offer being made prior to the hearing. The county?s attorney, John Gretzinger, and union representative, Jerry Caster, had a negotiating session at the sheriff?s department, but were not able to come up with a deal because the two sides are too far apart on wages.
The union believes there is too much of a gap between what Presque Isle County dispatchers are paid compared to neighboring counties. The union also is seeking dental coverage. The union consists of 13 dispatchers, cooks, and corrections officers from the Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department. During the hearing, both sides provided testimony to the arbitrator from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. Once transcripts are made available from the hearing, briefs will need to be filed within 30 days. Following that, the union and county will have another 30 days to submit their last best offer.
The ruling of the arbitrator will be binding for only dispatchers. The Arbitration Act is a statute providing binding arbitration involving disputes involving public safety employees. Corrections officers presented their information of the MERC fact-finder. The decision will not be binding. The fee for an arbitrator/fact-finder is $100 an hour. The maximum per diem rate including travel is $650. There also is a cost for study days.