There have not been any collective bargaining talks for over a month between Orange County and the Sheriff’s Office Employees Association. The two parties have been meeting though in closed sessions to discuss a grievance that the Association said it was filing against the county for the Commissioners Court voting to cut certificate pay for the deputies back in June.
Wednesday was the fourth such meeting to discuss reaching an agreement to resolve the grievance according to County Judge Brint Carlton. The county offered a proposal to the representatives of the deputies’ union which would keep certificate pay and give a 3.5 percent pay increase for all the Association’s members beginning on October 1, 2017. In exchange, the Association would accept changing some of the current impasse procedures and some of the language on benefits. Carlton said, “They will take our proposal back to their members and talk to them.”
Carlton said the Commissioners Court discussed the proposal to resolve the grievance during a closed executive session previously. The Court was unanimous in wanting to reach an acceptable agreement to resolve the grievance with the union.
The next collective bargaining negotiation session is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26, at 4:00 PM in the Commissioners Courtroom. That meeting will be open to the public.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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