_{Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz}

Updated at 8:42 p.m. Thursday to correct an error, an employee being hired at a Step C would top out about a year later at Step E and would then have to wait roughly nine years before reaching longevity, according to Norma Williams, Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021.

With the president of Del Norte County’s largest bargaining unit warning that the practice was creating a retention problem, the Board of Supervisors took no action on five requests to hire staff at a more advanced step on the salary schedule.

Two weeks earlier Norma Williams, president of the Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021, told supervisors that their hiring at Step C was fast becoming a standard. On Tuesday, noting that negotiations with county administration were scheduled for Thursday, Williams said the union seeks clarity on the hiring process.

Williams also noted that the length of time an employee has before they reach longevity is shorter if they are hired in the middle of the salary range than an entry-level worker. According to Williams, if a new employee is approved at a Step C after being hired, he or she would top out at Step E about a year later. They would then have to wait about nine years before reaching longevity where they would get a 5% pay increase, she said.

Until then, Williams said, the only pay increases that employee would see is any SEIU 1021 and county agree on.