Pay rates raised by 13.39% for Indianapolis Animal Care Services union workers

INDIANAPOLIS — All unionized workers at Indianapolis Animal Care Services have been given a 13.39% pay increase, an official said Thursday.

That includes positions such as animal care and vet techs/assistants, customer relations workers, animal control officers, and more, according to city spokeswoman Brandi Pahl.

IACS made the announcement in conjunction with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 725.

"The retention and attraction of a talented workforce is what allows our city to function at a high level, and we know that competitive pay is essential to accomplish that,” said Brian Madison, director of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services. “A city-wide compensation study that’s coming soon will be a longer-term solution to correct a decades-old challenge. In the meantime, on a case-by-case basis, we are addressing acute situations, which is the case here.”

Here's a breakdown of how much workers will now make per hour:

• Senior Animal Care Tech - $15.50
• Customer Relations Officer - $15.50
• Animal Control Officer - $19.64
• Adoption Counselor - $15.50
• Vet Tech - $19.85
• Vet Assistant - $15.50

In addition to the raises, IACS said it's working on temporarily adding two part-time senior animal care tech positions to help on days where the shelter is short-staffed and exploring the possibility of having a private vendor help with cleaning kennels.

The latter will help staff members focus more on caring for animals, ultimately giving the animals a better chance of leaving the shelter, IACS said.

Pahl said the City of Indianapolis has invested more funds into IACS' operations in the last year for programs including Indy CARES, the shelter's diversion program.

Pahl added that planning and design are underway for a new shelter facility that will be added at Sherman Park. Groundbreaking is expected to take place in spring 2023.