County Executive Metzger Signs Four-Year Labor Agreement with UCSEA

Published on August 27, 2025

KINGSTON, NY - On Monday, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, and Ulster County Sheriff’s Employees Association President George MacDonald signed the 2025-2028 Ulster County Sheriff’s Employees Association (UCSEA) Contract Agreement. The four-year contract was negotiated by the County Executive and her team and approved unanimously by the Ulster County Legislature in June. 

The total anticipated cost of the agreement is $2,367,588 over four years, with $988,525 allocated for 2025.

Among other provisions, the agreement includes:

• A 3.5% base salary increase for non-uniformed employees in 2025.
• A $2.00 per hour increase at entry level and adjustments to step differentials for corrections officers, effective July 1, 2025.
• A 2.75% base salary increase in 2026, followed by 3% increases in both 2027 and 2028.
• A targeted step increase at five years of service for uniformed officers to support retention of experienced personnel. 

“This agreement reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the dedicated professionals who serve in the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “We worked in good faith with our union partners at the negotiating table to reach a fair and fiscally responsible contract that strengthens pay equity and recognizes the hard work of our corrections and non-uniformed staff at the County jail. I want to thank Sheriff’s Employees Association President George MacDonald and UCSEA, as well as my negotiating team — Deputy County Executive Jamie Capuano, Personnel Director Dawn Spader, Director of Employees Relations Jim Farina, and Budget Director Ken Juras — for their diligent work to achieve a fair agreement."

“This newly negotiated contract helps ensure that the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office can continue attracting and retaining the dedicated professionals our community depends on,” said Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa. “I want to thank the Ulster County negotiating team, the Sheriffs Employee association (UCSEA) union, and the Ulster County Executive for their partnership in reaching a contract that honors our members’ hard work and deep commitment to keeping Ulster County safe.”

"This contract represents a monumental step forward for the dedicated men and women of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division,” said UCSEA President George MacDonald. “With salaries that now keep us competitive with both the state and surrounding counties, we are better positioned to recruit and retain the high-caliber professionals our community deserves. Our officers have taken on critical responsibilities, including the MAT program and CAP court, and continue to show up — day after day — to get the job done with professionalism and integrity. I want to personally thank Colonel Anthony Maggio for his unwavering support, Sheriff Juan Figueroa for his steadfast belief that our division deserves fair compensation, and County Executive Jen Metzger for her leadership and timely resolution in delivering this contract."

“This contract has been a long time in the making, and so many worked tirelessly to get us to this point,” said Gina Hansut, Ulster County Legislator and Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee Chair. “A signed four-year agreement — well deserved by the dedicated men and women of the Ulster County Sheriff's Employees Association — is a significant achievement. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.”