The Butler County Salary Board Wednesday approved pay hikes for union workers and nonunion employees.

Union employees covered under one-year or two-year contracts received 4 percent salary increases beginning Jan. 1.

In addition to roughly 200 Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center workers and 160 court-related employees, the new pay rate was set for county detectives and nonunion employees.

Sunnyview's 15 registered nurses were given a 3 percent increase.

All of the union employees under the first or second year of contracts and nonunion workers will pay a portion of their health benefits via a 1.5 percent paycheck deduction.

About 140 union employees at the government center still do not have a new agreement; they are working under a previous contract that expired Nov. 30, 2008.

The salary board also approved the reclassification of a human services post from a program development manager to director of service integration and quality management.

The title change brings a nearly $2 an hour pay hike from $21.68 to $23.40.

Carmine Scotece, county human services director, said such switches are necessary to retain experienced employees.

The salary board also replaced a legal secretary post with an administrative assistant post in the district attorney's office.

The switch increases the salary from $16.72 an hour to $17.56 an hour.

County Controller Jack McMillin opposed the increase, saying it creates further disparity among jobs at the same level in different offices.

"We're not consistently applying increases," he said.

When District Attorney Richard Goldinger said this instance is different because the employee reports directly to an elected official (Goldinger), McMillin replied every administrative assistant works for an elected official.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said a study would be done on employee salaries.

He said the results would show some employees were receiving too much money for what they do while others not enough.

The board also created two central booking technician posts at $12.50 an hour to operate the new booking center in the county prison.

Fees collected from defendants, such as the fee charged for fingerprinting, will pay those salaries.