MA county corrections officers rally for equal pay

BOSTON — County correctional officers in Massachusetts want equal pay and treatment to their public safety counterparts.

They rallied outside the statehouse Tuesday morning, claiming county correctional officers make far less compared to other public safety agencies -- specifically the state correctional officers with similar jobs. They say they have similar training, responsibility, pride, professionalism and danger.

"We're dealing with real-life risks. Our officers take a chance every day coming to work that they might not make it home. It's a serious issue. Our pay needs to be addressed. There has to be some justification for dealing with the dangers that we do," Bristol County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Carlton said.

The pay parity bill would provide county correctional officers with equal pay to state officers.

And the line of duty injury bill would give all correctional officers the same protections firefighters and police officers have when injured on the job.

Cox Media Group