HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County commissioners approved another labor contract Tuesday despite pleas to reconsider wages proposed for sheriff deputies.

The current base starting pay for a sheriff deputy is $15.39 an hour, Deputy Yale Leslie said Tuesday. With the new contract, that hourly rate is increasing by 13 cents, to $15.52 an hour.

Chief Deputy Christopher Tatar told commissioners they should reconsider all pay rates, especially in the sheriff’s office where the rates fall below industry standard.

The pay rates, according to Sheriff James Ott, are a reason why his office keeps training deputies who move onto other jobs.

Commissioners, however, declined to delay voting Tuesday on the proposed contract that’s been under negotiation for several months.

In February, the court-related employees represented by the United Mine Workers of America initially rejected the recommended contract, then later voted again on the proposal that commissioners OK’d Tuesday.

The contract affects about 145 employees who work in the register/recorder, district attorney, prothonotary, clerk of courts, public defender, sheriff, domestic relations, adult parole and juvenile probation, cost and fines and other select offices.

As presented Tuesday, it awards a wide range of pay increases for 2022, averaging 12.6%, achieved by assigning job classifications to positions and placing them within pay scale ranges developed after the county’s salary study was completed.

For 2023, the second year of the contract, union members will receive a raise of 40 cents an hour if they have at least one year of service or a 1.5% increase for those with less than one year.

In 2024, the third year, employees get a 2.5% across-the-board increase.

UMWA President Steffan Housum told commissioners Tuesday that the union was pleased with the first year of the three-year contract toward achieving fair and equitable wages with a goal of retaining county employees.

In the second and third years, Housum said the union has identified wage disparity that should be examined.

The union suggested alternative pay raise options for the second and third years, but the county wouldn’t accept them, Housum said.

County Administrator Nicole Hemminger said the cost of this contract, and the UMWA contract covering the residual group of UMWA employees, adds up to $1.3 million over three years. She said she didn’t have a breakdown of the cost for each year.

Commissioners Chairman Bruce Erb said after Tuesday’s meeting that he thought the cost of the first-year may be more than budgeted. But it will be offset by money not being spent due to the county’s high vacancy rate.

Commissioner Laura Burke also mentioned the contract’s inclusion of a $300 one-time payment to employees to encourage retention. She called it “a start” and spoke of other counties using American Rescue Plan funds to attract and retain employees.

Commissioner Amy Webster said she wasn’t familiar with that use of ARP money.

Erb said he might consider using ARP money to fund bonuses but not for ongoing wages because once the ARP money is gone, there’s no revenue to replace it.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.