UNITED PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION z= — COALITION OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION 187 Wolf Road, Suite 204 » Albany « NY - 12205 ( UPSEU ) 1-888-735-1140 - Fax: 518°729:4956 ‘oy wwwupseu.org December 5, 2022 On December 1, 2022, the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU), Saratoga County Corrections Unit, fled a Declaration of Impasse with the New York State Public Employment Relations Board in regard to current contract negotiations with Saratoga County. The unit encompasses Correction Officers, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Communication Officers, Communication Sergeants, Jail Nurses, Civil Clerks, Identification Officers, Jail Cooks, Substance Abuse Counselors and Outreach Discharge Coordinators. Currently, the County is offering our members an annual pay increase which equates to less than 3% per year while the inflation rate hovers around the 8% mark. Additionally, the County is also proposing to increase employee contributions to health insurance by 5%, which equates to an approximate 1% DECREASE in pay, thereby reducing the County proposed pay increase from 3% per year to roughly 2% per year. It is interesting to note that the County repeatedly boasts about the financial health of the county yet refuses to compensate its corrections employees in a fair and equitable manner. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Saratoga County “posted the biggest wage growth among the 355 largest counties (in the country) in the second quarter with a year-over-year increase of To put this in perspective, the total wage increase for employees at the County Jail for the past twelve (12) years equates to 21.25% or 1.77% per year. To reiterate, employers in Saratoga County increase wages over the past year by 16.3% while our public employees who put themselves in harm's way every day, who have worked tirelessly through the pandemic and deal with the most dangerous members of society, received a Additionally, the pay disparity within the department is inequitably distributed between the Road Patrol and Corrections. That disparity increases among Sergeants and Lieutenants and is as high as $18,000 more for a Road Patrol Sergeant or Lieutenant as compared to a Correction Sergeant or Lieutenant. HEADQUARTERS 1s Highway - Suite H » Ronkonkoma : NY « 11779 - 800-833-3688 - Fax: 631-73Saratoga County Corrections Page 2 December 5, 2022 Despite the fact that the wages within the Sheriff's Department are grossly out of proportion, Saratoga County is on the verge of negotiating a significant upgrade to the Road Patrol Retirement Plan. yet they are offering our dedicated men and woman, less than 3% per year. Our Correction Unit employees deserve better from a county with a projected fund balance of $56,000,000 dollars, which places the county on the high end of the State Comptroller's recommended percentage of maintaining a 5% to 15% fund balance in relation to the total County budget. It is important to point out that the vast majority of our membership resides in Saratoga County and we recognize the importance of fiscally responsible spending. However, itis no longer acceptable to expect our members to be treated as second class citizens. The work that we do, not only in the County Jail, but also in.our Communication Center, Civil Office, Nurses, Cooks and our Inmate support personnel, is vital to our community and we are hoping that the County will recognize that and reward us with a FAIR If you support our men and women in Corrections, please contact your Town Supervisor and voice your support. Listed below, please find the members of the County's negotiating committee: Administrator Bulger Deputy Administrator Ridge Harris, Sheriff Michael Zurlo Undersheriff Richard Castle ‘Supervisor Kevin Tollisen ‘Supervisor Jonathon Shopf Supervisor Phillip Barrett Paul lachetta UPSEU COPS Division Coordinator 005726-PLmp