Onondaga County jailer tripled his pay under overtime rules county exec wants changed

Deputy Vladimir Zuk

Onondaga County Sheriff's Custody Deputy Vladimir Zuk (right) is pictured with Sheriff Gene Conway and three other deputies recognized as "deputy of the month" in April 2018. Zuk helped save a woman inmate who had attempted suicide.

An Onondaga County sheriff’s deputy tripled his pay last year under overtime rules the county executive is seeking to change.

Vladimir Zuk, 60, earned $188,200 in 2018. His base salary was $60,695.

Zuk more than tripled his pay, earning an additional $127,505 in overtime as a custody deputy at the Onondaga County Justice Center. He was among about two dozen custody deputies who earned more than $100,000 by adding to their pay with overtime in 2018.

Zuk’s pay is a new example of an old issue: For years, deputies have been doubling their overtime at the jail. In 2012, then-chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature Ryan McMahon led an effort to change overtime rules that allow a handful of senior deputies to take the most overtime.

For the first time as county executive, McMahon is seated at the negotiating table for the Onondaga County Sheriffs Benevolent Association contract, which is currently up for renewal.

“We need to rewrite the contract," he said.

McMahon said he wants to see “archaic” provisions that limit the way the jail fills overtime shifts eliminated this year. A medical provision allows deputies to opt out of working overtime. A seniority provision gives veterans the option to work overtime first. Officials say those provisions create a situation where a small number of employees cover most shifts.

The contract also calls for deputies at the jail to work some four-days-on, two-days-off shift. That means that in some cases, deputies can begin to accrue overtime before they work a full 80 hours during eight pay periods of the year.

With more 20 years on the job, longtime deputy Zuk is among those who get first crack at overtime shifts. He did not respond to a request for comment through the police union.

McMahon, Sheriff Gene Conway and others were quick to note Zuk and his fellow senior deputies haven’t done anything wrong by signing up for lots of overtime shifts. Zuk was commended by Conway last year for his life-saving efforts to revive an inmate who attempted suicide.

“The folks who are showing up high on that list have actually worked the overtime,” Conway said. “These are the people who are willing to work extra overtime.”

Conway said he does have concerns that some deputies don’t get enough breaks under the current system. That’s one of the reasons he is hoping a newly negotiated contract will give him more flexibility to assign and more evenly spread out overtime.

Onondaga County Sheriff’s Benevolent Association President Doug Paninski said he is skeptical changes to the contract will fix the issue. Those overtime hours will still need to be covered by someone, he said.

Paninski estimated the jail is about 30 deputies short of its ideal staffing level. He urged county officials to hire more deputies.

Conway and McMahon said they are both paying close attention to staffing as well. They have to follow mandates set by New York state, they said. They cited decreases in inmate population and requirements for training new deputies as challenges for predicting staffing needs at the jail.

Comptroller Matthew Beadnell said that despite the high costs of overtime to the county, the sheriff’s department was within its overall budget in 2018.

A similar issue has also arisen in the county’s Department of Emergency Communications, or the 911 Center, where two employees this year doubled their pay through overtime. Four 911 employees earned more than the head of department in 2018.

Commissioner William Bleyle said in an email that the 911 employees’ contract works similarly to the jail deputies contract, with senior employees offered overtime shifts first. He said the department reduced overtime by about 5,500 hours from 2017 to 2018.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers federal courts, government and issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.