Legislators OK new contract for state troopers

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A legislative committee signed off Wednesday on a new two-year contract for Wisconsin’s state troopers.

The deal covers the biennium that ended June 30. The contract calls for a 2% across-the-board wage increase in each year, with lump sump payments equal to 2% increase for all hours worked dating back to Jan. 5, 2020.

Each step along the troopers’ pay progression scale would increase by an average of 4.3%, with a lump sum payment for hours worked dating back to June 6. Employees who earn traffic accident reconstruction accreditation would receive a $1 per hour raise.

The Joint Committee on Employment Relations approved the contract unanimously with no discussion.

The deal is still subject to approval from the full Assembly and Senate and Gov. Tony Evers would have to sign it before it could take effect, but that appears to be a formality at this point. Evers’ administration negotiated the contract with the troopers’ union and both Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu sit on on the employment relations committee and voted for the plan, signaling support.

A law Republicans passed in 2011 stripped most public workers of their union rights but allowed police officers to continue to negotiate collective bargaining agreements.