PA Corrections Managers May Receive Pay Raises

A vote of approval by the state House of Representatives could mean an increase in salary for corrections managers for the first time in a number of years.

According to an article on the RepublicanHerald.com, Senate Bill 1019 addresses pay differences between corrections managers and lower-ranking officers in the state Department of Corrections (DOC).

In the article, Susan Bensinger, spokeswoman for the state DOC, is quoted as saying, “The pay jump from sergeant to lieutenant has disappeared since the pay raise was eliminated for a number of years. There was no incentive for a sergeant to make the jump to lieutenant. It is a difficult environment to work in and it was a bit of a morale problem.”

Sen. David Argall, R-29, was the bill’s prime sponsor. Salaries for manager positions in the state DOC were frozen while lower-ranking officers contracted with a union, still received annual raises. As a result, officers could earn more than their managers. In the article, Sen. Argall said, “This bill essentially says we have to give these people a raise.”

According to the article, the proposed legislation says, “A corrections manager shall receive not less than the same annual percentage salary and fringe benefit increase as received by the highest ranking corrections officer participating in collective bargaining.”

Of the 2 state correctional facilities in Schuylkill County, State Correctional Institution-Mahanoy has 2,289 inmates with a total of 600 employees and State Correctional Institution-Frackville has 1,137 inmates with 450 employees. In security positions, SCI-Mahanoy has 327 employees and SCI-Frackville has 283.

There is no date set yet for the House vote on the bill.