Significant changes were made to Kern County law enforcement contracts on Tuesday, including wage increases, hybrid schedules and other amendments officials agree will help retain staff.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved changes including a 3% salary increase for each year through 2026; longevity pay, offered at 2.5% every five years, to be capped at 20 years of service; and the ability to cash out unused vacation and compensatory time off in November. Officials also amended work schedules, allowing for leave hours to count toward meeting an employee’s 40-hour workweek before they can access overtime.
“The total package included in the MOU provides strong incentives for our sworn law enforcement officers to remain with the Sheriff’s Office or District Attorney’s Office for their careers,” according to a county staff report released July 20.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood pointed to one change — longevity pay — as what will have a major impact on retaining those considering an early retirement.
“The people that have an early retirement are able to leave at 47, 48 years old and go make a living doing something else,” Youngblood said. “When you have longevity pay spread over years, and pay raises spread over years, you at least have a tendency to at least have them another four years.”
These new changes, sanctified through several memorandums of understanding, were negotiated with two unions — the Kern County Sheriff’s Command Association and...
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