Wis. labor expert benefits from bargaining changes

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — A newspaper report shows a Middleton labor consultant has signed nearly $600,000 in contracts because of changes to collective bargaining for state workers in 2011.

The lack of public sector unions created a void that allowed counties and cities to set their own pay scales without bargaining and to compare wages to the private sector.

According to a review by Gannett Wisconsin Media (http://gbpg.net/ZaqpbX), Charlie Carlson and his five-person Carlson Dettmann Consulting firm have completed at least 12 compensation studies around the state since Act 10 became law.

He's cornered the state market, having been hired by 42 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. He charges about $50,000 per study.

Carlson obtains questionnaires from employees about their roles and gathers comparable wages in nearby public and private sector jobs.

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Information from: The Post-Crescent, http://www.postcrescent.com