Dozens of county employees and labor representatives addressed the Marin County Board of Supervisors on April 22 urging bigger pay raises and more employer-paid health-care costs as contract bargaining begins.

Speakers representing the Marin Association of Public Employees (MAPE), the Municipal and County Employees (MATE) group, and several county departments highlighted recruitment and retention difficulties tied to Marin’s high cost of living. "In order to keep attracting this talent, Marin needs to offer competitive wages and benefits to keep up with the high cost of living," said Kelsey Poole, an eligibility worker who trains new hires.

Union leaders and members detailed specific concerns. Kathy Clary from the county’s digital accessibility team said peer counties have provided multiple percent increases in recent years, and that Marin has fallen behind. Erica Butler, introduced in the transcript as an eligibility worker and the current MATE president, told supervisors employees want to feel "appreciated" and for the county to be the "employer of choice." Speakers urged a combination of across-the-board increases and equity adjustments to address compressed pay ranges.

Other speakers made related points: staff shortages can push remaining employees into overtime, public services suffer, and many county employees do not live in Marin because of housing costs. Several employees asked the board to increase the county’s health insurance contribution (current cap cited by speakers at 5 percent).

Board response and context: Multiple supervisors acknowledged the concerns and said they had opened bargaining with MAPE. County leaders and union representatives said that an earlier extension had been negotiated in 2022, and that unions and county staff were preparing to bargain the contract. No binding salary or benefit changes were adopted at the meeting; public comment was the primary vehicle for the topic on April 22.

The transcript records multiple speakers from MAPE/MATE and other departments. The board’s staff noted the bargaining process is underway and indicated that negotiations would proceed through the county’s labor relations process.