The county has approved a five-year contract with its prison employees, who are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME.

The county commissioners at their Wednesday meeting approved the contract, which expires at the end of 2026.

The employees' life insurance coverage will increase from $15,000 to $50,000 in the new contract.

They also will see a 2.5% raise in each year of the contract.

Employees will receive a $100 bonus per pay if 150 or more federal prisoners are being housed at the prison, $50 with 50 to 149 federal inmates, and no bonus if the federal inmate population drops below 50.

Employees' health insurance premiums will increase slightly in the new contract, and refusing to work a mandated overtime shift will result in a five-day unpaid suspension for a first offense and termination for a second offense.

Specific language regarding personal days was added to the contract.

No more than four employees can take a personal day on one day, and the warden will post a memo Oct. 15 alerting the employees as to their number of remaining personal days, which must be scheduled by Dec. 4.

If an employee does not schedule their remaining personal days by Dec. 4, the time will be forfeited.

Personal days will not carry over from year to year, and those who call off work with no personal days remaining “shall face disciplinary action,” the contract states.

The contract was previously ratified by AFSCME prison employees.