WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners have voted to approve a fact-finder report that provides wage increases for Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association members in the county’s sheriff’s office.

The contract negotiations for the union included all county sheriff deputies, excluding sergeants and above, dispatchers, corrections officers, clerical employees and other sheriff employees. Those employees are represented by other unions.

Fact-finder reports are written by representatives of the Ohio Employment Relations Board to settle disagreements between unions and employers.

Attorney Dominic D. Saturday represented the union while attorneys Michael D. Esposito and Melisa M. Fisco, both of Clemens, Nelson & Associates represented Trumbull County and the sheriff’s department.

This fact-finder report recommends union members receive a 3% general wage increase in July 2023, a 2% increase in January 2024, a 2% increase in July 2024, a 2% increase in January 2025, a 1% increase in July 2025, and a 1% increase in January 2026.

It also recommends that OPBA members receive a $.20 per hour increase in hazardous duty pay.

The OPBA members currently receive $.40 per hour in hazardous duty pay.

The county initially wanted to provide the OPBA members a 10% increase in their general wages over three years. However, the union sought a 13% increase over the three years.

Union members sought an increase in their clothing allowance from $875 per year to $1,250 per year. The county wanted the clothing allowance provided to its members to remain static. The fact-finder report recommended a clothing allowance increase to $1,000 per year.

The county successfully argued that overtime compensation should be paid for in excess of 40 hours in a work week, instead of having to pay OPBA members overtime after completing eight-hour work days.

The county sought this change to align this contract with the other OPBA unions, creating a more efficient record-keeping system. The fact-finder report agreed.

The sheriff’s office and county officials sought the right to restructure the normal work day or work week to promote efficiency and improve services. They also wanted the right to use part-time, seasonal, intermittent and other types of personnel to fulfill their operational needs.

The union strenuously objected. The fact-finders report sided with the union.

It noted the proposal would open the door to unilateral changes in working conditions, plus the introduction of non-unit personnel.

In a review of the county’s financial situation, the fact-finder report found that between 2010 and 2020 its population dropped below 200,000 residents. The county has been described as having a shaky foundation due to a declining job base, shrinking population and high workforce costs.

The county was negatively affected by a recession and then the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal funds from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act have been instrumental in preventing the collapse of critical services.

Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office’s actual budget has remained stagnant during the years between 2017 through 2020, according to the report.

Actual expenditures for road deputies increased from nearly $4.5 million in 2022 to nearly $4.9 million in 2023.

“The employer has a challenge to both attract and retain qualified personnel while operating within fiscal constraints, rising personnel costs and stagnant revenues,” the fact-finder report noted.

The county negotiates with six bargaining units within the sheriff’s office, which include correction officers, correction sergeants, correction lieutenants, deputies and deputy ranking officers, and non-sworn personnel.

While some negotiating agreements run across each of the union contracts, the fact-finder report says that each union has the right to negotiate their contracts based on the situations faced by their union members that may not be the same as the other OPBA contracts.

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