City Employees Bargaining Unit Submits Salary Requests To City Officials
(Le Mars) –– The city of Le Mars employee bargaining unit submitted its initial proposal for salary requests to city officials this morning. Jeff Kramer, who is employed by the city as a police officer, and also serves as the president of the Le Mars employee bargaining unit offered the request.
If the city council accepts and agrees to the terms of the new contract it would become effective on July 1st, 2020, the start of the new fiscal year.
Kramer talks about how many city employees would fall under the bargaining unit.
Kramer says the contract proposal involves only the salary of city
employees, and it doesn’t include any benefits. Kramer says this year’s requests are similar to contract proposals from recent past years.
City Administrator, Jason Vacura received the initial proposal on behalf of the city and the city council. Vacura indicated the city will submit its initial offer within two weeks. Once the city submits its counter proposal to the city employees, negotiations will then take place on reaching a salary contract.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Comments On The Passing Of The US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement And The EPA Decision With Renewable Fuels Standard
Iowa Unemployment Rate Holds Steady
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 2.6% in November as the number of people with and without jobs both increased. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that the number of Iowa residents with jobs climbed by 8,200 from October to November. The number of unemployed
people also increased, from 45,100 in October to 46,200 in November. Iowa’s 2.6% unemployment rate was the nation’s fifth lowest, tied with Colorado, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Virginia. Vermont had the lowest rate, at 2.3%.
The national unemployment rate in November was 3.5%.
Principal Denies Student Pizza Party
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa middle school principal is apologizing after denying students pizzas that had already been delivered to their classroom for a pizza party their teacher had promised them. Brody Middle School Principal Thomas Hoffman intercepted the pizzas Thursday, citing the school’s fairness and equal opportunity policy. That led a parent of one of the denied students to post about the incident on social media, drawing
thousands of angry responses. By late afternoon, Hoffman had issued a public apology, saying he was “overly strict” in applying the school’s standards.
Hoffman says the school will accept pizzas expected to be delivered to the entire school on Friday.
Iowa Man Accused Of Killing Student 18 Years Ago Is Asking DNA Not To Be Used In Trial
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man charged in the killing of an 18- year-old high school student 40 years ago is seeking to exclude from his trial DNA evidence used to arrest him. The Des Moines Register reports that an attorney for 65-year-old Jerry Burns filed a motion this week to exclude DNA evidence police lifted from a straw Burns had discarded last year.
Attorney Leon Spies says in his motion that police didn’t have a warrant to seize the tossed-out straw. Police arrested Burns last December for the stabbing death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko.
