Politics & Government

Mount Pleasant Chooses Labor Attorney

Labor negotiations with the police union are fast-approaching, and the village wants someone who knows the provisions of Act 10.

Mount Pleasant has hired a labor attorney to handle negotiations with employee unions.

James Korom of the Milwaukee firm of von Briesen & Roper has successfully negotiated contracts recently with , , and . Trustees unanimously approved Korom's hiring on Monday night.

The contract between village and its police officers expires at the end of this year, and trustees are trying to plan ahead going into another tough budget cycle.

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Local labor negotiator Vick Long has worked with Mount Pleasant for a number of years, but Village President Carolyn Milkie said the village needs someone who is both a negotiator and an attorney well-versed in the rules of Act 10 and Act 32.

"We needed someone with a more complete background," she said. "With the new legislations we need someone who can guide use through the legal-ease."

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Whether or not Long will still be involved remains a possibility, she added.

Act 10 - commonly known as the budget repair bill - stripped most public employee unions of their bargaining rights over anything other than wages. Police unions were excluded, but the State Legislature allowed municipalities to redesign health plans for police and fire unions, plans not subject to bargaining during future negotiations.

According to a reference sheet provided to Patch, Greenfield police in 2012 did not get a wage increase and pay the full load of their pension contribution as well as 12.6 percent into their health insurance, up from 6 percent. That union was offered a choice of two plans; one with a relatively low deductible and co-pays or one with high deductibles of $20,000 for single or $40,000 for family.

Patch has a call into the union representative for Mount Pleasant police, and we will update this story after we hear from them.


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