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Tuscarawas County approves 4% wage increase for JFS bargaining unit, adjusts longevity pay
Summary
The Tuscarawas County Board of Commissioners approved a wage re-opener with AFSCME Local 2308 that raises full‑time Job & Family Services bargaining-unit pay 4% effective May 4, 2026, and standardized longevity payment timing for JFS staff.
The Tuscarawas County Board of Commissioners on May 13 approved a wage re-opener agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8 Local 2308 that increases salary scales for full‑time Job & Family Services (JFS) bargaining‑unit employees by 4%, effective May 4, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027.
County Administrator Kris Lowdermilk told the board that negotiations “went very well” and thanked JFS staff and Director Veronica Spidell for their work during a difficult implementation period. The agreement also establishes timing for longevity payments: for bargaining‑unit employees the increase and longevity terms take effect May 4, 2026, and longevity payments for non‑bargaining JFS members will be issued on the second pay date in May each year, effective May 4, 2026.
The contract specifies a certification supplement for a maintenance repair worker 3 who holds proficiency in electrical, HVAC or plumbing trades: those employees will receive an additional $0.25 per hour per certification on top of their hourly pay rate. The resolution adopting the agreement was moved by Commissioner Mitch Pace and seconded by Commissioner Greg Ress and passed with Ress and Pace voting yes; Commissioner Kristin Zemis was recorded absent.
Veronica Spidell, JFS Director, was listed as the department official recommending the contract in the meeting record. The agreement covers wage scale adjustments and procedural changes to longevity pay timing; the meeting record does not list individual employee names or the total fiscal impact to county budgets.
The board also separately approved a resolution clarifying longevity payments for JFS non‑bargaining employees so that longevity is issued on the second pay date in May each year, effective May 4, 2026. The commissioners did not discuss a separate appropriation tied to the wage change during the meeting; budgetary implications were not specified in the public record.
