MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, the Milwaukee County Board adopted County Executive David Crowley’s proposal to make major updates to employee compensation that reflect both the needs of employees and County government in an economy and job market fundamentally changed by the ongoing pandemic.
“Thank you to the County Board for passing important updates to compensation packages for Milwaukee County employees. Our employees are the backbone of our organization and as Changemakers they are a key part of achieving our Vision of becoming the healthiest County in Wisconsin. Over the past two years they’ve remained dedicated to public service at the County throughout a public health crisis, economic uncertainty, and much more.,” said County Executive Crowley. “In addition, the economy and job market have both changed over the past two years requiring more of the County to make competitive job offers to attract and retain talent in service of our Vision. While this is not a silver-bullet for completely filling our current vacancies, I am hopeful that this proposal will improve our competitiveness in an historically tight labor market to ensure we are recruiting top-notch talent to help us continue making great strides towards our health and race equity goals.”
The proposal passed today provides an additional 2 percent general pay increase for eligible Milwaukee County employees. This is in addition to the 2 percent pay increase provided in April 2022, bringing total general increase to 4 percent for 2022.
It also provides a lump sum payment for employees for payroll checks scheduled in late September and will reflect the following payments: Full-Time Equivalent: $1,000; Part-Time: $500; Hourly: $250; and Seasonal: $250. Elected officials and employees represented by the public safety unions are not eligible for lump sum payments under this program.
Finally, it makes permanent the $3.00 premium pay increase for Correctional Officers approved last year to address a critical need to offer salaries competitive with surrounding counties. The move makes starting pay for Correctional Officers in Milwaukee County will become the second highest in the seven county Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission region, based on a 2021 pay study.
