Agreement includes four across-the-board wage increases

BY KEVIN BONESKE

REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER

After meeting in closed session Monday night, the Rhinelander City Council approved a new three-year contract with the city’s police union.

Under the terms of the agreement, which is effective from Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2019, four across-the-board wage increases will take place during the contract period – 1.5 percent effective the first pay date of July 2017, 1.5 percent effective the first pay date of January 2018, 1 percent effective the first pay date of January 2019 and 1 percent effective the first pay date of July 2019.

Other provisions of the new agreement include having “eligible regular employees” paying 10 percent of the monthly premium for the health care coverage plan offered by the city, which would pay the remaining amount of the premium for the plan selected by the employee. Employees may also participate in a self-insured dental insurance program with the participating employees paying $4.45 per month.

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, in lieu of all other forms of compensation or time off for holidays, all officers will receive 112 hours of pay at their hourly rate of pay as holiday pay. Also effective the first of next year, officers will no longer be accumulating concession leave.

Effective July 1 and thereafter, all officers shall be credited with sick leave at the rate of five hours per pay period.

The agreement also modifies language on the hours to work, which are 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for the day shift and 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for the night shift, so that officers will be allowed to pick their shift as well as their “on day” group annually, by seniority.