Orange County Sheriff’s Office, union disagree over proposed pay increase

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and its union could reach an impasse on their latest contract if they fail to agree on things like discipline and pay in the next two weeks.

The sheriff’s office said its proposed 15% pay increase across the board over three years is fair for all deputies, but the union says that’s not the case for deputies who have been with the agency longer.

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The issue, union officials said, isn’t the amount of the raise but how it is divided out.

“The agency needs to wake up and realize that people will not stay at an agency that pays a 14 year deputy the same as a 6 year deputy,” union officials wrote in a letter.

Read: Orlando police union calls for higher pay for officers

The union says the proposal is great for newer deputies but unfair to those deputies who have been with the agency a long time. The union went on to state that the longer-tenured deputies were short-changed years ago under different financial constraints and a different sheriff.

The contract expires Oct. 1. If they can’t reach an agreement, it could go before commissioners for a vote.

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