Luzerne County government vacancies blamed on low compensation and competition

Luzerne County 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans said low pay and competition are hampering his efforts to attract and retain crucial 911 telecommunicators.

Some employers in the area warehousing industry are now starting workers at $18 per hour for positions that have less stress and responsibility than a 911 telecommunicator job that requires handling of life-and-death calls and the swift and accurate dispatching of emergency responders, he said.

Telecommunicators start at $32,900 annually, or $15.81 an hour, Rosencrans told county council during his budget presentation last week.

“They are starting their employees at higher salaries to stuff boxes than we are paying our staff to deal with a 911 caller whose baby is not breathing or having to listen to someone commit suicide on that line,” Rosencrans said.

Pennsylvania State Police employees with jobs comparable to county 911 telecommunicators start at more than $42,000 a year, he added.

The county currently has 20 telecommunicator vacancies, he said.

Rosencrans told council the administration is attempting to address the telecommunicator pay during union negotiations with the AFSCME residual union. That collective bargaining agreement expires the end of this year.

Council must ultimately approve union contracts.

With so many vacancies, the county’s current 911 telecommunicators are working an “exhorbitent” amount of overtime, he said, noting there are overtime mandates most days and that 16-hour days are “not uncommon.”

“We are nearing a staffing crisis if we lose any additional telecommunicators,” Rosencrans said.

The lion’s share of the center’s expenses are covered by a state fee on land and wireless phone lines — not the county’s general fund operating budget, he said.

Not alone

Several other county department and division heads have highlighted employee recruitment and retention challenges during recent 2022 budget presentations.

“It’s a recurring theme, and it has to be addressed and looked at very seriously,” said County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo. “It also mirrors what’s going on even in the private sector.”

Crocamo said she attended a County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania conference last week and learned that many other counties also are experiencing the same staffing issues.

The county is at a particular disadvantage because the many of the vacant positions involve vital public services, Crocamo said.

Among the other staffing concerns raised in this year’s budget presentations:

• Sheriff Brian Szumski said he’s had 50 deputies leave since 2019, including 24 this year, and about half cited the low compensation as the reason in their exit interviews. Sheriff deputies start at $14.28 per hour, or $28,550 annually, and must stay at Penn State University’s main campus for 19 weeks to obtain required Act 2 training and certification, he said.

Like Rosencrans, he told council deputies can make more at some area warehouses and fast food restaurants.

Sheriff deputy compensation is set by the AFSCME court-related union contract, which is now in negotiation because it expires the end of this year.

• County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said it has been “extremely difficult” recruiting and retaining correctional officers the last two years, with many prospective applicants backing out after they learn the detailed job requirements.

Correctional officers start at $16.25 per hour and must complete a six-week training course. In addition to eight correctional officer vacancies, 65 are on family medical leave, he told council.

The current prison union contract runs through 2023.

• County Human Services Program Director John Alunni, who is temporarily overseeing Children and Youth, said the agency is approved for 208 workers but currently has approximately 60 vacancies.

Recruiting and retaining caseworkers has long been a challenge here and statewide largely due to low compensation and the high on-the-job stress of investigating alleged child abuse and neglect, officials have said.

Attempting to help with recruitment, county officials had increased the caseworker starting salary in 2018. The more experienced “caseworker 2” position currently starts at $38,956 annually, while compensation for the entry-level “caseworker 1” job begins at $32,419.

The Teamsters Local 401 union contract covering Children and Youth caseworkers expires the end of this year and is in negotiation.

Operational services

Rosencrans, of 911, spoke during the presentation of the Operational Services Division budget, which also covers planning/zoning, building/grounds, roads/bridges, engineering and the Emergency Management Agency.

County Engineer William McIntosh, who oversees building and grounds, told council he has several open custodial positions and that the pay is below average for the area. He does not support outsourcing cleaning, saying it would cost more.

According to job postings on the career opportunities section of the human resources department page at luzernecounty.org, the open custodial positions pay $22,150 annually.

Building and grounds workers are covered by the AFSCME residual contract now in negotiation.

Most custodial workers are on the night shift, and McIntosh said they must clean and disinfect approximately 386,000 square feet in 11 buildings with 79 bathrooms, 106 sinks, 141 toilets/urinals and 1,056 trash cans and the same number of recycling bins.

Those on day shift must clean and also cut grass, remove snow and pick up leaves and litter in addition to other duties, McIntosh said.

EMA Director Lucy Morgan told council her department is understaffed compared to similarly-sized counties.

Luzerne County is 908 square miles with a population of 317,417 and an EMA department staffed with four full-timers, she said.

In comparison, Lehigh County (349 square miles/369,318 population) has an EMA staff of six full-timers and three part-timers, her chart said. In Northampton County (377 square miles/297,735 population), the EMA department is staffed with seven full-timers, it said.

Morgan said her department must be available round-the-clock to respond to emergencies and also maintains and assists in the creation and updating of emergency operation plans for numerous entities, including: 76 municipalities; 12 industrial parks; 250 chemical facilities; three power plants; six railroad systems; three airports; 12 school districts; 177 day cares, assisted living facilities and nursing homes; and 14 medical facilities.