Jail senior staff, city of Lexington agree to new contract that includes pay raises
The city of Lexington and the union that represents lieutenants and captains at the Fayette County Detention Center have agreed to a new four-year contract.
The contract would be retroactive to July 2019 and would expire in 2023, city officials said.
Employees covered by the contract would immediately see a 4.5 percent pay increase if the contract is approved by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. A final vote on the contract is expected on Sept. 16.
The contract also includes 1.5 percent annual pay raises.
Over the life of the contract, those pay raises will cost the city an additional $120,000. The bargaining unit has more than 15 members.
“Our corrections managers are a critically important part of our public safety team,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “They have difficult jobs, made even more difficult by the pandemic. The new contract agreement recognizes and rewards the important contributions they make to our community.”
Negotiations between city officials and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Local 2785, which represents lieutenants and captains, were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Instead of an adversarial process, this was productive. Both sides came to the table in a timely fashion to find common ground,” Gorton said.
Another key personnel contract still outstanding is between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge 4. That contract is for the majority of the city’s police force. City and FOP leaders say contract negotiations are still ongoing.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 12:58 PM.
