Serving Whitman County since 1877

County extends contract with negotiating team

Even as they struggle to meet the terms of a contract negotiated with the Whitman County Deputies Association, county commissioners Monday renewed their relationship with G. Andrew Hunt and Associates, a Spokane firm the county employs in contract negotiations.

The one-year deal pays the Hunt firm $70 per hour for the first 145 hours of negotiating, research and travel and $75 per hour beyond the 1imit.

“I think they’ve done an excellent job,” Commissioner Greg Partch commented on the firm’s previous work.

The Hunt firm is currently bargaining with unions representing employees in the county’s road, solid waste and corrections departments, as well as courthouse employees.

“They bring in these high-powered negotiators from all over the place,” said Commissioner Pat O’Neill. “We need to do that to.”

According to records from the County Auditor, the county had paid the Hunt firm $16,222.50 through November of this year. Conversely, $34,189 have been taken out of employees checks through November to cover dues to the Teamsters Union, which represents the bargaining units not currently under contract.

But it was a deal they struck with deputies in 2007 that is currently causing strife in Whitman County government. Under terms of that four-year deal negotiated by the Hunts, deputies are scheduled to receive four percent raises each year until the contract expires in 2011. The contract also mandates the county to pay all of the cost of health insurance for deputies, and 60 percent of the cost of insuring their families.

“We settled on what we thought was a fair contract at the time,” said Partch.

Partch has criticized deputies sharply for not offering to alter their scheduled raises to help offset the county’s anticipated 2010 budget deficit. He has cited the contract and its raises as the main factor in his decision to take a hard line stance on the Sheriff’s budget for next year.

“At the time, I guess it’s what they figured was fair,” said Commissioner Pat O’Neill. “It looks like the deputies did pretty good in those negotiations.”

Commissioners Monday were hesitant to criticize the Hunts for their role in that deal.

“The deputy contract was negotiated before we had any concept of what the economy was going to do,” Commissioner Michael Largent pointed out.

Both Largent and Partch noted arbitrators could have imposed a contract through mediation had the county and deputies not reached the agreement.

O’Neill said he could not make a statement on the Hunts performance, because this is his first year in office, and he was not on the county commission when the contracts were settled.

He added he was satisfied with renewing the firm’s contract.

“As far as I know, they’re the only game in town,” he said.

 

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