By C1 Staff
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — All West Virginia corrections officers will be receiving a raise starting Sept. 2.
According to The Independent Herald, COs in the state’s jails, prisons and juvenile facilities will receive a pay raise of $2,080 annually, which breaks down to $1 an hour. Officials hope the raise will fill vacancies and prevent turnover.
“A lot of work went into this action,” Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Secretary Jeff Sandy said. “Gov. Justice supported this. He stated that we had to do something for these dedicated employees. Many correctional officers spoke to me personally about this, and I knew we had to act.”
Along with the pay raises, changes have been made to overtime policies. Now, officers earn overtime pay after working more than 40 hours a week. Before the policy change, COs had to work 80 hours to receive overtime pay.
“We have all been advocating for several years that these employees receive better compensation for putting themselves on the front lines daily,” Denny Dodson, acting director of the Division of Juvenile Services, told Clay County Free Press. “I do believe that this is positive first step to support our correctional staff, and hopefully we can achieve more for our employees in the future.”
As of July 1, almost one out of four 2,640 full-time corrections officers positions were open.