Pay Raise for Corrections Officers Survives Budget Review
JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, is pleased to announce that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved an employee retention plan for the Department of Corrections. The plan, proposed by the governor and adopted in the House of Representatives’ budget, would result in some corrections officers receiving as much as 13 percent more pay in 2020.
The employee retention plan would provide a 1 percent pay increase for every two years of continuous service with the Department of Corrections, capped at 20 years. The pay increase is in addition to a 3 percent cost of living adjustment expected for all state employees. Executive level staff and Parole Board employees are not eligible for the plan.
“Corrections Officers are notoriously underpaid, and many good employees move onto other jobs when something better comes along,” Sen. Cunningham said. “The governor’s plan will bring our corrections officers closer to an acceptable wage and should help the department keep trained employees on the job.”
Employee turnover is a constant challenge for the Corrections Department because long-time officers often earn the same wage as new hires. This plan rewards corrections officers for longevity and should begin to address employee retention issues. In 2018, nearly 21 percent of all positions within the Corrections Department turned over, with 29 percent of Level 1 Corrections Officers leaving the department.