PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Pierce County leaders are handing out one-time bonuses of $5,000 to sheriff’s deputies in exchange for a promise that they will not leave the agency for a year.
The plan is an attempt to stop an exodus of deputies who have left for other agencies in the region that pay more. Contract talks between County Executive Ryan Mello and the Pierce County Deputy Sheriffs’ Independent Guild are expected to enter arbitration next year.
“We can’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Guild president Shaun Darby, referring to the newly-approved bonuses. “It’s going to be somewhat effective; it’s nice to get something. Is it what we deserve? No. Does it make us competitive? No.”…