Cobb officers sue county government over allegedly unfair wages

Four Cobb County officers are suing their county government over differences in pay levels and salaries between the Cobb County Police Department and Cobb County Fire Department and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2020, Cobb County implemented a Grade and Step Plan in their county compensation policy, applied to all public safety employees, the lawsuit says.

But according to the class-action lawsuit filed in Cobb County State Court by officers Nathan Shinkle, Aaaron Schulke, Jeremy Melton and Brandon Moore, Cobb County police and firefighters have not received correct compensation due to a “misinterpreted” policy added in 2024 known as the “Minus One” rule is making things unequal between departments.

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What do the officers claim is happening with their wages?

The lawsuit says the “Grade and Step system was designed to ensure that Public Safety employees were treated the same in terms of their pay, based on an objective metric,” that has not happened.

The lawsuit filed by the officers said the Minus One rule, added to the policy in 2024, puts all officers and firefighters a year behind on the county’s Grade and Step Plan, putting them at the negative end of a pay disparity between their department and their colleagues in the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office’s wages.

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According to the plaintiffs, Cob County’s policy was supposed to provide increases, or “Steps” for their wages for each year of satisfactory service.

An officer with 10 years of satisfactory service would be on “Step 10″ and paid to match.

What the lawsuit wants to resolve the issue

The lawsuit says that while the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office applied this policy “faithfully,” the police and fire departments did not, due to their “distorted reading” of the policy and implementation of the Minus One rule.

Officers claim this has caused “an inequity” with their colleagues in the sheriff’s office.

The lawsuit is seeking the compensation difference be paid back and that members of the class, police officers and firefighters, receive class damages and losses suffered due to the impact on their retirement benefits.

Plaintiffs are also seeking pre- and post-judgment interest be awarded and the coverage of litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees.

Efforts to resolve this issue mentioned in the lawsuit

In a series of letters included in the lawsuit as exhibits, members of the CCPD human resources office said Cobb County Public Safety Director Michael Register was made aware of the issue and was “actively trying to get a resolution” as of April 14.

The response from HR, shared in the court document, was made in reference to a letter by Melton, who said that while he was supposed to be paid as a Step 14 in 2023, which the records for his pay show, he was “actually paid as a Step 10.”

The lawsuit says Melton received this information through an open records request to the county, according to his email to HR.

An email from Register included in the court record showed that a few days after Melton’s letter was received, the public safety director was trying to determine the facts and assess “how the county will address any inconsistencies and inequities that are found.”

The following May, an email included in the court document from Register told officials that the Department of Public Safety had been working with the Board of Commissioners and the County Manager to finalize plans for identifying the inconsistencies and making changes to the county’s policies, with it set as an agenda item in June.

What’s the current status?

Any further action for corrections, “will be dependent upon final BOC guidance,” Register wrote in the letter.

According to minutes from a June 9 Cobb County Commission meeting, the updated policy was approved.

A subsequent June 23 commission meeting further addressed the pay, with county staff saying roughly $4.3 million would be reallocated to cover payments for the 2026 fiscal year related to policy updates.

The lawsuit from the four officers, on behalf of themselves and all others in similar situation, was filed in early October and amended on Oct. 15.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to county officials for comment on the issue.

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