ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — After weeks of tense negotiation with the county commissioners, the deputies of Ross County Sheriff’s Office have finally secured an inflation raise. The raise will be costing the county less than $200,000 a year, according to records.
This timely resolution comes after a heated dispute between the Ross County Sheriff’s office and the county commissioners — Jack Everson, James “Oody” Lowe, and Dwight Garrett — leaving the deputies — members of the Teamsters 284 Blue Unit — in a difficult spot. Despite the existence of a collective bargaining agreement signed in 2021 that included a provision for a mid-term raise and negotiations, the commissioners initially refused to negotiate, leaving the deputies without a pay increase to accommodate the rising cost of inflation in America.
The new inflation raise will position Ross County more competitively against neighboring counties such as Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, which have recently increased their deputies’ pay. In recent times, Ross County saw a trend of deputies leaving for higher-paying positions in these counties.
However, this raise, along with the annual raise that went into effect on July 1, puts Ross County deputies’ pay above these counties and nearly on par with the wages that the City of Chillicothe pays their police officers. This pay adjustment has been a long-awaited change for deputies who, for years, had to stand shoulder to shoulder with city officers from Chillicothe earning $5 to $10 more per hour while performing the same tasks.
Ross County Auditor Jeff Lehner and Ross County Treasurer David Jeffers were pivotal in the raise negotiations, going against the county commissioners who were initially against any discussions about a raise. Lehner and Jeffers fervently argued that the county’s ample $14 million savings account could well afford the deserved raises for the deputies at a cost of less than $200,000 a year. Their passionate stand, combined with the pressure from Sheriff George Lavender, became a significant turning point in the discussions.
The growing public pressure and a scathing editorial from the Guardian also played a crucial role in shifting the commissioners’ stance. The editorial accused the commissioners of failing to recognize the vital contributions of the Sheriff’s deputies to the county’s safety and wellbeing, further fueling the public sentiment in favor of the deputies. Eventually, earlier this week the combined forces of Lehner, Jeffers, Sheriff Lavender, public outcry, and the unyielding pressure from the media led to the commissioners relenting and agreeing to the much-deserved raise for the deputies.
The union, Teamsters 284 Blue Unit, expressed relief and satisfaction at the outcome after the commissioners’ initial refusal to negotiate. According to their agreement, both parties were obligated to engage in discussions regarding mid-term bargaining requirements. The union previously accused the commissioners of dismissing attempts to negotiate and prematurely leaving the room. The raise’s announcement has been a morale booster for the deputies, who were happy to vote unanimously for it on Thursday in a union vote.
While the agreement is not officially finalized until the commissioners sign paperwork with the union next week, the raise will go into effect immediately and is retroactive to July 1.