MADISON, Wis. -- The union representing more than 400 deputies of the Dane County Sheriff's Office voted Tuesday to approve a two-year contract with the county that includes a pay cut.

The agreement means that 18 deputies will not lose their jobs.

By ratifying the contract, the Deputy Sheriff's Association formally accepts a 3 percent wage reduction in exchange for eight additional days off and a no-layoff pledge for 2010. The 3 percent wage reduction will be for one-year -- 2010.

Under the agreement, wages will be restored with a 3 percent raise in pay at the end of 2011.

Tuesday's vote means that all county employees have agreed to a 3 percent pay cut.

"Today’s ratification means all county employees -- our sheriff's deputies, 911 dispatchers, snow plow operators, nurses, social workers, department heads and elected officials including myself -- have agreed to be part of the solution to address the worst economic recession our county has seen in decades," said Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk in a statement Tuesday.

The union and the county had been in a standoff over the contract before a tentative agreement was reached earlier this month.