Employees at six prisons throughout the state, including Green Bay Correctional, are getting temporary hourly pay increases to help address a statewide worker shortage.
In an effort to fill vacancies the DOC says guards, sergeants and youth counselors are eligible for the $5 an hour raise that went into effect in April and runs through June of 2020.
Some lawmakers are divided on whether this will help attract workers to the vacant spots.
Republican Representative Mike Rohrkaste of Neenah is on the budget committee.
He says this is one item in the budget that they were going to address but he’s not sure they would have dealt with it this way.
Rohrkaste recognizes this is a problem.
Republican Representative Jim Steineke of Vandenbroek thinks this could pit one prison against another and have competition for guards.
Democrat Senator Dave Hansen from Green Bay believes the raise is long overdue and well deserved.
