November 20, 2023
STEUBEN COUNTY MANAGER’S RESPONSE TO DEPUTIES ASSOCIATION OF THE COUNTY OF STEUBEN STATEMENT
Steuben County is aware of the statement of the Deputies Association of the County of Steuben, issued last Friday evening. It is unfortunate that this has led to unwarranted accusations by members of the Association across social media. We seek to provide details and figures to clarify their claims:
Steuben County has been in contract negotiations with the Deputies Union for the years 2021-23 and were not able to come to an agreement.
The County began negotiations in 2022, offering an average of 9.27% in 2022 (which would’ve exceeded the increases of all other County employees for that year), and 3% in 2023. The County did not propose a salary increase in 2021 due to the economic conditions at the time, which was in line with what the majority of County staff received that year. The Deputies would also receive an annual stipend of $1,500 if they maintained their EMT certification (which they earned while being paid), and health insurance contribution would increase 1%. Taken together, their wages would have increased 16.2% over the three years.
The Deputies Association proposal was: An 8.68% increase in 2021, a 7.04% increase in 2022, and a 7.87% increase in 2023. Taken together, their three-year proposal would amount to a 23.59% increase.
It should be noted that the 2018-2020 Deputies Association contract increased wages by 16%. If the County’s proposal was accepted, wages would have increased 32% over six years. Indeed, the County attempted to reach an agreement with the Deputies by proposing increases higher than the 16.2% referenced above, but they were continuously rejected by the Deputies Association.
Although no member of Steuben County administration or Personnel have been served with the decision of the Arbitration Panel, we are aware an award is posted on the PERB website. The majority decision of that Panel, which includes a member of the Deputies Association, exceeded the amounts actually requested by the Deputies Association at arbitration, which is unprecedented in New York State labor relations. That is why we are currently evaluating the decision with our labor counsel.
Our proposals demonstrate that Steuben County values our men and women in law enforcement and that we are willing to provide significant wage adjustments. The Deputies Association chose arbitration, which takes a great deal of time. Our hope was to provide these members this meaningful increase in 2022 and 2023 and begin negotiations on a new contract for 2024 and beyond.
We hold great respect for the work of the members of the Deputies Association, and we hope this is amicably resolved in the near future. Steuben County has continuously demonstrated our commitment to law enforcement, as evidenced by the fact that the budget for Road Patrol has been increased by 63.99% from 2017 to 2023.
Accusations that Steuben County is offering minimal increases in an effort to ‘defund the police’ are both insulting and not factual. We have over 850 dedicated public servants in County government, the Deputies Association included. We seek to provide competitive wages and top-notch benefits. Characterizations that County government is ‘unjust, unfair, and not fiscally responsible’ are unwarranted and unproductive.
