Jan. 2—Starting salaries for Westmoreland County assistant district attorneys and public defenders will increase 24% this year under terms of a new labor deal approved Tuesday.

The county's salary board, which includes the three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, signed off on the four-year labor deal for the collective bargaining unit that represents 34 lawyers who prosecute and defend criminal court cases.

Officials said the move could lead to better recruitment and job retention amid a struggling employment environment.

The contract bumps starting annual salaries by more than $12,700.

New attorneys hired by the district attorney and public defender offices will earn $65,000 a year. Lawyers hired to those positions in 2023 will receive the increased salaries this year.

As part of new labor deal, the senior lawyers in both offices also will see similar salary bumps this year, according to Alexis Bevan, the county's human resources director.

The lawyers will receive 2.25% raises in the final three years of the contract.

"We're hoping this agreement is the first step in trying to get people to stay here," said Commissioner Sean Kertes. "We see people come here, get experience, and now go to the private sector."

Both District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli and Public Defender Wayne McGrew have spent the last two years trying to fill vacant positions as lawyers in both offices left for other employment. They previously said the county's salary scale for lawyers was not competitive with other counties.

"We're hopeful these new salaries are competitive and will draw interest from candidates graduating law school," McGrew said.

The starting salary for public defenders last year in Allegheny County was $65,000.

Westmoreland County's public defender's office has one vacancy; the district attorney's office has about 20 lawyers working as assistant prosecutors.

"Although I had no part in the ADA's contract negotiations between their union and the county, I wholeheartedly support them and their efforts to be paid salaries they deserve," Ziccarelli said. "It is also my hope that we will be able to recruit and retain talent and compete with surrounding counties whose salaries have been dramatically higher than ours for quite some time."

Pittsburgh attorney Eric Stoltenberg represented the joint lawyers wage and policy committee during negotiations with Westmoreland County. He could not be reached for comment.

Prison guard raises

The salary board also approved a new four-year contract with the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents more than 130 corrections officers working at Westmoreland County Prison.

Guards have been working for the last year without a contract, which expired at the end of 2022. The new deal is a result of an arbitration process.

It includes annual raises of 85 cents an a hour for members, a figure that represents an average of about 3% pay hikes, Bevan said.

The deal also includes changes to the process by which guards are required to work overtime shifts. The new contract calls for mandatory overtime schedules to rotate among staff rather than on a seniority-only basis, officials said.

"It could have been worse. It's a good contract. This contract was aimed at keeping the jail staffed," said Scott Kennedy, president of the prison guard union. "It's more appealing to new people."

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .