By Liz Zemba
Tribune-Review
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Fayette County is looking for a few good corrections officers.
Warden Brian Miller on Thursday said he is lining up potential candidates to fill eight full-time positions approved by the salary board. He anticipates recommending a number of individuals for hire as early as September.
“I’m scrambling to get the interviews and testing in to have the recommendations to the prison board by Sept. 30,” Miller said.
Miller said he recommended the county increase the number of full-time officers from 43 to 51 to cut back on overtime costs. Often, he said, part-time officers are not available when needed because they have other jobs, forcing full-time officers to work extra shifts.
Part-timers who do work, he said, quickly reach 1,000 hours on the job, which is when the county must start paying them benefits such as health care.
In addition to approving the new full-time positions, the board voted to reduce the number of part-time officers from 25 to 10, Miller said.
Commissioners Al Ambrosini and Vincent Zapotosky voted in favor of the changes, along with Sidney Bush, deputy controller. Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink was not in attendance.
Bush attended the meeting in place of Jeanine Wrona, acting controller. Wrona is retiring on Friday after 33 years of service to the county. Bush will take over as acting controller until a new controller is elected in the fall and takes office in January.
Zapotosky said the changes are expected to save the county money because they will reduce overtime and eliminate the need to pay health care benefits to part-time workers.
Ambrosini said safety will improve because full-time officers will be asked to work fewer double shifts to make up for manpower shortages.
“What’s happening, in some cases is, we have a full-time corrections officer who may have to work 16-hour shifts two and three times a week,” Ambrosini said. “From my perspective, that can be dangerous because you have fatigue issues. There is a potential they can make a mistake or misjudgment, and they, themselves, could get hurt, or somebody else could get hurt.”
Starting pay for full-time corrections officers is $18.45 per hour, or $38,376 annually.
In an unrelated matter, the board voted to promote Eugene “Geno” Gallo Jr. from administrative assistant at $12.61 per hour to staff specialist at $14.61 per hour.
Gallo works in the commissioners’ office. His primary duty is being Ambrosini’s assistant.
Zapotosky and Ambrosini said the raise from $24,590 to $28,490 comes with an increase in responsibilities.