About 1,000 correctional officers who have been working without a contract since June 2003 will see a 13-percent increase in their regular paychecks in coming weeks — along with a big chunk of retroactive pay.

After years of stalled contract negotiations and months of arbitration talks, a three-member state arbitration panel this week awarded the pay raises to most members of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers.

(About 150 union members who hold so-called “civilian” classifications, as well as those who work primarily in hospital settings, did not receive the full 13-percent hike.)

The arbitration award covers only the time period between July 12, 2003, and June 30, 2006. More contract talks are scheduled for later this year to tackle what union members should have received during fiscal years 2007 and 2008. But whatever wage increase, if any, is agreed on will be on top of the increases determined this week.

Brotherhood president Richard Ferruccio said he was frustrated with this week’s decision.

“We’re relieved that the decision is in but we’re disappointed in that he didn’t see fit to award correctional officers the same salary wages that were granted to the state police and the deputy sheriffs,” Ferruccio said, referring to the chairman of the arbitration panel, Michael J. Yelnosky.

“He acknowledged that the job of a correctional officer is much more difficult than a sheriff but because of the fiscal crisis … we weren’t going to get what we deserve.”

The arbitration panel consisted of Yelnosky, Ronald Brodeur, representing the Brotherhood, and Robert Liguori, representing the state.

Brodeur issued a dissenting opinion, saying the other two panel members gave too much weight to the state’s current financial crisis “and effectively said to correctional officers that even though you deserve to be compensated at a much higher rate and even though other state law enforcement is already being paid what they deserve, you should not be.”

The state is facing a $425-million deficit in this current fiscal year but has been putting money aside during the last few years in anticipation of some wage settlement with the Brotherhood.

Jerome Williams, director of the Department of Administration, said yesterday the set-aside money would cover the retroactive pay the state owed the correctional officers. However, “Right now it appears we might be short somewhat through [fiscal] ’09 but we’re completing that analysis. But our commitment is we have an award and we obviously are going to move forward with the award.”

The state had proposed that the Brotherhood receive no raise in fiscal 2003, a 4-percent raise in fiscal 2004 and another 4-percent raise in fiscal 2005.

The union had proposed a 4-percent increase for each of those three years, for a total increase of 16 percent.

In reaching its compromise pay hike of 13 percent, the arbitration panel said the union would actually have to receive an 18-percent pay raise to match what deputy sheriffs were receiving but “the state’s ability to pay is, of course, relevant.”

The panel went on to say that “…we believe a larger increase would have been appropriate in a less trying budgetary climate.”

Ferruccio said he hoped the state might make up that pay difference in the next round of contract talks, despite the current budget crisis.

Under the type of arbitration law that the state and the Brotherhood are bound to, an arbiter must consider the state’s ability to pay when settling wage disputes.

Corrections Director A.T. Wall said yesterday “it is regrettable this contract dispute went on so long because the state’s financial position deteriorated year after year to the point where it is now in dire straits. And the arbitrator was obligated by law to consider the fiscal condition of the state.”

tmooney@projo.com