Suffolk committee amends contract to give probation officers a pay hike
Suffolk County PBA president Noel DiGerolamo speaks at a news conference outside police headquarters in Yaphank in 2014. Credit: Ed Betz
A Suffolk legislative committee voted Wednesday to amend county probation officers’ contract to give them raises of 14 percent over eight years at a cost of $12.3 million.
The officers had been without a contract for two years, and the settlement would give retroactive pay raises for that time.
“The men and women who do this every single day deserve more, but we recognize there are fiscal limitations that the county is working within, and this is fair to both the taxpayers and the members,” said Noel DiGerolamo, union president for the Suffolk County Probation Officers Association and the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association.
The government operations, personnel, IT and housing committee approved the deal Wednesday. The proposed settlement must be approved by the full legislature, which is set to vote next Wednesday, and by the union members.
“I think it’s a very fair contract,” said Deputy Presiding Officer Robert Calarco, who chairs the committee.
The union’s last contract for six years expired on Dec. 31, 2016. The proposed new contract runs from Jan. 1, 2017, tol Dec. 31, 2024.
Union members will receive retroactive pay raises of 2.5 percent for 2017 and 2018, while foregoing pay raises for 2019, according to the contract. Some of the retroactive pay will be put off until retirement, officials said.
Members would receive pay raises of 1 percent in December 2020, and that percentage would rise annually in July of the following years until reaching 2.75 percent in 2024.
Base starting salaries would rise from $39,516 to $45,386 by the end of the contract, and top base salaries would go from $85,191 to $97,846.
The deal would restrict unlimited sick time for employees hired after the last contract expired.
Those employees will be allotted 13 days, which was standard in contracts before 2007. Half of unused sick time will be paid out at retirement.
The settlement would also guarantee that officers demoted in title changes would not have their salaries cut, DiGerolamo said.
Probation officers would also for the first time receive step raises on their anniversary date, simplifying a previously convoluted system, he said. Officers in the warrants section would be paid for time spent working while on call, which they currently are not.
Longevity pay would increase by $275 over the course of the contract, and clothing and cleaning allowance would rise by $150.
Members would be able to use time donated by colleagues to care for dependent children with cancer, DiGerolamo said.
Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.
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