For the first time four years, some Trumbull County workers are no longer under a pay freeze.

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

For the first time in four years, some Trumbull County workers are no longer under a pay freeze.

Last week, commissioners approved a pay increase of 25 cents per hour for each of the 66 corrections officers at the county jail, as well as elimination of a new-hire wage scale.

The hourly increase will cost the county about $35,000 through the end of this year, when the jailers’ contract expires. The pay increase resulted from wage-reopener negotiations on the jailers’ contract.

The jailers are represented by United Auto Workers Local 1112, which also represents workers at the Lordstown General Motors Assembly Plant.

Under the former contract, new jailers earned $11 per hour to start, $11.60 after one year and $12 after two years.

It was one of many contracts negotiated with county workers since the Great Recession of late 2007 that contained no percentage pay increase for workers, though they have continued to receive step-pay increases.

Under the new contract, jailers all will work under the same wage scale — $14.76 to start, $15.46 after one year, $16.16 after two years, $17.34 after three years, and $18.02 after four years.

James Keating, county human-resources director, said he didn’t know how much more it will cost the county to eliminate the lower wage scale, but a Vindicator analysis indicates it would pay a worker with two years’ experience $166.40 more per week or $8,653 more per year than under the former contract.

Keating said one reason the lower wage tier was eliminated is because the sheriff’s office was having “a huge turnover” among the lower-paid jailers.

The county now is in negotiations with the union representing deputies, who are among several unions whose contract expires this year.

Frank Fuda, county commissioner, said of the agreement, “There’s no money for huge raises. These are pretty reasonable.”