Governor Proposes Pay Raise for All Staff

Jan. 27, 2021

Dear Corrections Family:

I am very excited to tell you about a pay increase announced in Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State address today. The Governor recommended a 2% pay increase for all Missouri state government employees. That means a raise for everyone!

Governor Parson also has recommended an additional salary increase for some Missouri Department of Corrections jobs that we are struggling to fill and that have high turnover rates. These positions include some food service workers (Cook I, Cook II and Cook III), as well as corrections officers (CO I), sergeants (CO II) and lieutenants (CO III).

The Governor’s proposal includes:

• 2% pay increase for all state government employees
• 4% pay increase for food service workers in Cook I-III positions (2% cost-of-living increase plus additional 2% increase)
• 5% pay increase for corrections officers, sergeants and lieutenants in CO I-III positions (2% cost-of-living increase plus additional 3% increase)

The Governor understands the vital role all of you play in keeping Missouri safe, and he is grateful for the work you do every day. We hope this plan will mean not only more income for many members of our team but also less stress for everyone affected by staffing shortages, including those of you who work overtime or take on extra duties. Higher salaries for these positions can boost our ability to recruit and retain new staff. Better staffing creates a safer work environment and better work-life balance for everyone.

When I became your director in 2017, you reported that the biggest issue affecting corrections staff was pay. In particular, Missouri correctional facility staff earned less pay than their counterparts in other states, and staff with many years of dedicated experience earned the same pay as new hires.

Since then, my team has worked hard to address these disparities and find solutions.

• In July 2018, custody staff received a $350 annual pay increase.
• In January 2019, six months later, all state employees received a $700 annual pay increase.
• In January 2020, all corrections staff received a cost-of-living pay increase plus a retention pay increase based on years of service, resulting in 3% - 13.3% pay increases for corrections staff. This $35 million pay plan marked the biggest pay increase in the history of the department.
• In January 2021, working with the department, the Governor has proposed a plan that would give corrections staff a 2% - 5% pay increase.

If approved by the Missouri General Assembly, this pay raise will bring the total amount of funds invested in corrections pay increases over the last four years to nearly $68 million. In contrast, corrections pay increases during the previous nine years totaled less than $31 million.

We know this past year has been tough for all of you, and we’re happy to start of 2021 with some good news. Please know my team and I will continue to advocate for you.

Thank you for all you do, and please stay safe.

 

Anne L. Precythe
Director