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Richard Hanratty of the Gloucester County Sheriff's Department waits to graduate from the Gloucester County Police Academy at Gloucester County College, Wednesday, Dec. 11., 2013. (Staff Photo by Calista Condo/South Jersey Times)

(Calista Condo)

Gloucester County's Sheriff officers and freeholders finalized a new contract last week that does away with salary "steps" for new officers, eliminates bonus salary perks and doles out an average 1.83 percent salary increase for current officers through 2018.

County Administrator Chad Bruner said the change in the steps — or set salary increases based on years on the job — was "the most important outcome" of the past eight months of negotiations with the bargaining unit representing 74 current officers and 10 sergeants.

Instead of salary steps for officers hired after Jan. 1 of this year, the contract guarantees them annual 2 percent salary increases with the starting salary set at $42,000, or 50 percent of the top level of the new salary guide for current officers.

That salary guide, for employees hired before Jan. 1, has been increased from eight steps to 12 under the new deal.

Bruner said that it will now take new hires 12 years to go from making $40,000 to $50,000, when they could reach $80,000 in the same time span under the previous contract.

"It's a significant change," said Bruner. "I don't know of any other law enforcement contracts in the state that has done that because the step system is coveted."

The contract — which dates from Jan. 1, 2014 to Jan. 1, 2018 — also eliminates additional salary bonuses officers received such as sick leave buy-back, an attendance bonus, education bonus and fitness bonus. Current officers will instead receive an equitable $2,265 permanent roll-in payment applied to their base salary.

Their longevity payments will be frozen at their current rate and added to their base salary as well. Longevity and other bonuses will not be available to new hires at all.

Since the department could see anywhere from five to 15 retirements in the next several years, Bruner anticipates the county will see the savings from the new deal in short order.

Additional shift options were also added in to allow for flexibility in reducing overtime hours.

"It's always nice when you settle a contract without going into arbitration," said Bruner. "It helps for goodwill between officers and the county. We're very pleased. It's almost a landmark contract, getting out all those steps."

Sheriff Carmel Morina said Monday that the bargaining unit consisting of his lieutenants and captains, as well as the corrections officer contract settled in recent years, also does away with the steps for new hires.

"That's the trend, everybody's going that way," said Morina, who called the agreement a fair deal. "It's tough out there, the economy's tough. I felt we did very well for the taxpayers and we're happy with it."

Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.