Suffolk Legislature approves contract that boosts pay for correction officers 17.25% over five years

The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a new contract for Suffolk correction officers that will boost their base pay by 17.25% over the next five years.

The 860 members of the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association will receive a 3% base pay bump for 2025 retroactive to January 1. Starting next year, incremental pay increases between 1.5% and 2% will arrive every January and July, amounting to a 17.25% increase by the contract's Dec. 31, 2029 expiration date.

Officers in Suffolk’s jails had been working under a contract that expired Dec. 31 while elected officials and union leaders negotiated terms they believe will bolster the ranks. Buffeted by recruitment and retention difficulties, correction officers had to work mandatory overtime to cover all shifts, Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), the presiding officer, said Tuesday.

McCaffrey said one of the goals of the contract is to make it easier to hire and keep officers. 

"I think this contract really gives us the ability to do that," he said.

Under the five-year contract, a new officer will start at around $60,000 when factoring in holiday and differential overnight pay, compared with the old starting salary of around $49,000, according to union President Lou Viscusi.

"It’s going to go a long way in helping us be able to hire the proper amount of staff where we can safely staff the jail," Viscusi said during the legislature’s general meeting Tuesday.

The new contract was green-lit by around 95% of Viscusi’s membership as well as the legislature’s government operations committee, Newsday reported last week. The five-year agreement eliminates some of the steps to top pay, similar to the latest terms the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association adopted, Newsday previously reported.

Correction officers will also see an increase in their longevity pay, an amount that kicks in during their fifth year and grows every five years before maxing out at their 30th year of service.

 Viscusi’s members will now receive "Lock-In Pay" that accounts for officers' inability to take meal and other breaks during their shifts. The new stipend will cost around $25 million through the length of the five-year contract.

The new contract also recognizes Easter as a paid holiday, which the county projects will cost more than $2.8 million through 2029.

Base pay increases account for the largest cost of the new contract, according to the legislature’s budget review office, which deemed the contract’s financial impact "reasonable." The agreement will cost the county $117.8 million, starting with an $8.2 million price tag this year, and increasing each year to $39 million in 2029.

Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) said that while he has concerns about the cost of the contract long-term, he believes the salary increases are justified.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said in a statement that the officers deserve their contract.

"Correction officers play a critical role in law-enforcement," he said. "Their jobs are dangerous and stressful. They must balance humanism and authority. Suffolk’s correction officers are among the best."

Newsday's Joe Werkmeister contributed to this story.