Mahoning Children Services workers get raises

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County Children Services Board has reached a new three-year labor contract with Communications Workers of America Local 4300 that ends an eight-year wage freeze.

The agreement, which immediately raised starting pay for child welfare caseworkers from $13.94 to $15.73 per hour, is retroactive to Feb. 1, Randall Muth, CSB executive director, announced at Thursday’s county commissioners’ meeting.

The agreement raised the pay of the highest paid caseworker from $19.71 to $21.55 an hour.

The union represents 98 CSB staff members, including caseworkers and clerical workers and group home staff.

Pay increases average 18.34 percent this year, 1.11 percent in 2016 and 1.41 percent in 2017.

State law requires children services caseworkers to have bachelor’s degrees in a social work-related field.

The new contract raises minimum starting child welfare caseworker salaries here from last place to eighth place among 10 Ohio metropolitan county CSBs, according to figures supplied by Muth.

Read more about the pay raises in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.