Sep. 11—DOUGLAS COUNTY — Minnesota’s paid leave law is prompting changes to Douglas County’s remote work policy.
The proposed policy change requires remote workers who work for Douglas County, but live and work out of state, perform more than half of their work annually in Wisconsin.
The Administration Committee is recommending the Douglas County Board adopt a new remote work policy, so the county doesn’t have to pay the state of Minnesota for benefits most Douglas County employees are ineligible to receive. Beginning in January, Minnesota will require employers to provide up to 20 weeks of paid medical or family leave to employees who work at least half of the time in Minnesota.
The policy change follows suit with what other counties on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border are doing, said Dave Sletten, interim administrator.
The policy change affects four workers currently, said Anna Carlson, health and human services director.
Sletten said it will require the county to make room for the employees to work in-house. He said $50,000 in capital project funding has been set aside to create space for the remote workers.
“What would be the cost if we did have to have these four employees living and working in Minnesota?” asked Supervisor Kelly Peterson.
“It was pretty minimal,” Sletten said. He estimated it would cost about $2,000 for the four employees.
Peterson asked if it would be more cost-effective to pay for the benefit than to create space for the employees.
“It sounds minimal, but it’s more of the policy and the meaning behind that,” Sletten said. “So, we’re trying to not create inequities.”
Supervisor Randy Skowlund said the county doesn’t want to have Minnesota laws imposed on the county.
“We employ people here in Douglas County, and that’s where you work,” Skowlund said. “It’s pretty simple. If we implement anything different than that, you’re going to have a morale issue, and the whole can of worms are going to open up.”
Supervisor Rosemary Lear questioned the legality of Douglas County paying Minnesota for the benefit.
“It’s a benefit program in Minnesota,” said Carolyn Pierce, corporation counsel. “Wisconsin is not in the business of funding Minnesota benefits. And that’s what we would be doing even if it’s just the $500 (per employee). … Most Douglas County employees work in Douglas County. That’s the expectation.”
County Board Chairman Mark Liebaert said the Minnesota paid leave law could pose a problem for the county if Act 10 — Wisconsin’s 2011 law that limited collective bargaining rights for government employees — was repealed.
“I was a union steward for 26 years,” Liebaert said. “The first thing I would say if I knew there were employees who had a benefit that had given them weeks more time off … that would be my No. 1 issue for negotiations. I want the same benefits.”
The cost for the county to provide the benefit to all employees would be huge, Liebaert said
Carlson said there could be repercussions for changing the policy, including hiring costs if an employee resigns because of the policy change. She said even with the policy change, she worries there is still a chance the county could end up having to pay Minnesota.
“My stand on it, in general, is that if they’ve got to come back, they’ve got to come back, but I think there’s going to be further financial implications where $50,000, in my opinion, could be spent elsewhere,” Carlson said.
The committee split 8-1 to recommend adopting the new remote work policy. Peterson voted against it.
The Douglas County Board will consider the policy when it meets Thursday, Sept. 18.