ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — A contract dispute between the Ross County Sheriff’s office and the county commissioners has left deputies of the Ross County Sheriff’s office — members of the Teamsters 284 Blue Unit — without an expected pay raise due to inflation. The deputies, who signed a collective bargaining agreement with the Ross County Commissioners in 2021, were due to receive a raise of less than 50 cents on the hour starting July 1. However, when the union approached the commissioners to discuss the raise and the impact inflation has had on the country, their efforts were met with refusal and a hasty departure from the commissioners’ side.
The collective bargaining agreement, which runs for four years, includes a provision for “mid-term bargaining” between the union and the county. The provision would allow for the negotiated raise to go into effect. However, it appears that the commissioners have chosen not to engage in these discussions, leaving the deputies’ pay stagnant without inflation taken into account, the union said.
The union, Teamsters 284 Blue Unit, expressed disappointment and frustration over the commissioners’ refusal to negotiate. According to the agreement, both parties are obligated to meet and bargain in the event of mid-term bargaining requirements. The union alleges that the commissioners dismissed their attempts and left the room, failing to address the issue at hand. Despite attempts to reach out to the commissioners for comment for this story, Dwight Garrett, James “Oodie” Lowe, and Jack Everson remained silent.
The union’s contract clearly states that if the Sheriff deems it necessary to implement changes affecting the employees during the contract term, a notification must be provided to the union. The union would then have the opportunity to submit a written demand for bargaining the effects of these changes. The agreement specifies a period of five to ten days for good faith negotiations between the parties, followed by mediation if necessary. If no agreement is reached, the Sheriff may implement its last offer and submit the unresolved issues to arbitration.
Deputies across the Sheriff’s office have changed their social media profile photos to images that read, “skilled labor isn’t cheap; cheap labor isn’t skilled.” Even with the slap in the face to the deputies, they are met with tough choices. The contract bars striking and the deputies are required to carryon with their work or seek employment elsewhere. In fact, many have left the Sheriff’s office for higher paying wages elsewhere. Some have gone into the private sector, while others have joined police forces in other cities with better wages, leaving a hole in the effectiveness of law enforcement in Ross County.
“Many of the deputies who have left are lifelong residents of Ross County and still live here, but they commute to jobs elsewhere,” said a Ross County Sheriff’s employee who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record. “When they leave the Ross County Sheriff’s office, they take with them institutional knowledge of crime, criminals, geography, and more. That knowledge they possess allowed them to fight crime like no other. When we are forced to hire people who are not local just to fill the patrol car with a warm body, the policing may not be as effective as someone who has had a lifetime here. It is a shame we are losing invaluable people to dollars.”
Ross County Auditor Jeff Lehner, responsible for overseeing the county’s budget, expressed support for a raise for the deputies. However, he cited challenges posed by inflation and said that at this point, the contract is insufficient because it does not provide enough to counteract the effect of inflation.
“The Sheriff’s current union contract was negotiated prior to inflation hitting generational highs. As a result, we’re not in a good position to compete in this tight labor market. Under these circumstances I believe it would be entirely appropriate to address this situation either through a renegotiation or some kind of supplemental agreement,” Lehner said. “The Sheriff’s deputies have the toughest jobs in county government and we just keep asking more of them. I believe now is the time to show strong support for our law enforcement professionals here in Ross County.”
According to public records, the county has more than $14 million sitting at their disposal.
Despite requests for comment, Sheriff George Lavender remained unavailable for this story.
The standoff between the Ross County Sheriff’s office and the county commissioners continues, leaving the dedicated deputies of the Teamsters 284 Blue Unit without the pay raise they were expecting with inflation added. As the dispute lingers, the future remains uncertain for these law enforcement professionals, who play a vital role in ensuring public safety within Ross County.
This article was updated to clearly articulate the quote by the county auditor.