Unions eye pay freeze suspiciously
COMMENT: What do you think about the structure of the county's pay raises?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
HAMILTON — The union representing hourly workers of Butler County government and administration is examining closely the commissioners' decision to freeze employees' levels of pay.
The question is whether the commissioners' decision last week was a violation of existing contracts with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 3396, or other unions.
Extras
"We're definately following up on it," said Peter McLinden, regional director of AFSCME's Cincinnati region. "Of course, they (the commissioners) know they couldn't just unilaterally make changes to the contract."
Last week, commissioners approved a freeze on all levels of pay for nearly 600 employees under their control. The hiatus will provide acting county administrator Tim Williams the opportunity to conduct a survey to determine whether employees are overpaid.
"Some of these salaries are out of skew," Commissioner Donald Dixon said Tuesday, May 13. "And we have to sort through all that."
Dixon cited current practice, in which many employees get automatic 7 percent pay increases each year, plus several more with any promotion. Despite the salary hold, Dixon said pay increases and promotions will be given retroactively if the employee is entitled.
And while that's good enough for some union members — such as those in Environmental Services, according to its local union president — others disagree.
"We have an agreement with the county, and it's legal and binding," said Rebecca Palmer, president of the new Butler County Children Services Independent Union, currently in contract negotiations with hourly employees.
"It's something that they should have talked to us about, so it's not OK. I think they can do the survey without holding people's pay."
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2112 or dgreber@coxohio.com.
Comments
By Gerald Wood
May 15, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this
If there is nothing to worry about then the salaries should be frozen until a legitimate investigation is conducted. We in Butler County and the city of Hamilton have seen a lot of abuse. The kingdoms are crumbling and the kings are falling. And not soon enough!
By anonymous
May 14, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
Josh Sweigert needs to do a story on the Probation Dept if he thinks county employees are paid so well. SOME of the people in that dpt are paid very well…of course they’re somebody’s godchild or know a commissioner or play racquetball with the assistant director. the rest of the people barely get 3% increases, and some people who they don’t like, get nothing. it’s out of control over there, with little accountability. the management and second in command play favorites, clearly!!!
By Amazed
May 14, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
And to Jim: I think we are miscommunicating. My point has little to do with my husband’s choice of profession. In fact, in this “me me me” world, I admire him for his choice of profession. My point is that it is irresponsible to lump all county employees with the minority who get overpaid or get ridiculous raises.
By Amazed
May 14, 2008 5:56 PM | Link to this
To Judy (again): Also, I am sorry to hear about your son. It is unfortunate that anyone would have to worry about lay-offs. However, just because someone is a county employee does not mean they cannot be laid off. My husband has no union or contract to protect him. Just like in the private sector, his is an “at-will” employer, meaning they can let him go at anytime for any reason that is not discriminatory.
By amazed
May 14, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this
To Judy: Yes, that is life. My husband chose his profession because that was his calling. And, by the way, he didn’t “know” anyone higher up in the county at the time he was hired. I’m not griping about his work because I respect what he does. What I am griping about is the blatantly ridiculous generalizations that uninformed posters make on this website about how “all” county employees are “rich/don’t live in the real world/or are overpaid.”
By jim
May 14, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
There is no way a person getting paid from taxpayer money should be allowed by law to give anyone raises including themselves. Tax payers should determine when and how much they should get paid. If they don’t like it then let them find a real job.
By Jim
May 14, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this
to amazed.. Sounds like you made a bad career choice
By Pofolk
May 14, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
I’m glad that Josh Sweigart is bringing the ridiculous salaries to light. If you aren’t amoung the “select”, then you shouldn’t be angered. As for Jim Davis saying that the salary increases weren’t unreasonable, that’s easy for him to say, he just received nearly 11.5% in January (thanks to Josh Sweigart for posting it.) Some of those people are getting 28% increases, and four to five increases in one year. If you work for a public official, many times you don’t get a raise.
By Judy
May 14, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this
This is for be amazed. Guess what that is life. I have a son that has a B.S. with the same amount of student loans working in a warehouse at just above minium wage. He is the unlucky person not to be able to get a county job- he had tried to apply- just does not know anyone. Plus he is about to be laid off. Tell me “amazed” do you worry about lay offs at the county? So you need to live in the real world. I think Don Dixon is show stewardship of the tax payers dollars.
By Amazed
May 14, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
And to those who think all county employees are “rich” or don’t live in the “real world”: You try taking out $30K in student loans for a Bachelor’s degree you were required to have to obtain a job making about $25K a year…and if you’re lucky, you’ll see a 3% raise once every other year. The ones truly not living in the “real world” are the ones who blindly believe ridiculous generalizations without actually looking at facts.
By Amazed
May 14, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this
It never ceases to amaze me how some people will take a problem caused by or attributed to a certain few people and then blame or punish an entire group for it. My husband works for the county, in a thankless job, doing the work that most people don’t have the guts to do. Does he get a 7% increase every year? Heck, NO! There have been years when his entire department has received nothing and ended up bringing home less because of health ins. increases.
By JJ
May 14, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
Union members, remember the millionaire Don Dixon next time you see his name on the ballot. He has always been against the Union Worker.
By Mike
May 14, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Unions are BAD for America.
By Mike
May 14, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
Our tax dollars support their raises…..you are OVERPAID as it is, as usual in government regulated services. If you are in the PUBLIC SERVICE industry, don’t expect to get rich….find another profession….the rest of us did.
By Paul Howard
May 14, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this
Just want to repeat that posting a post in all caps doesn’t make you right. Just annoying.
By trobin
May 14, 2008 8:50 AM | Link to this
Sweigart is missing the BIG picture. The very same commissioners who are questioning the amount of raises given to Butler Co. employees approved a 4% raise ($4000.00 +) to the new director of Childrens services after only 5 mos. on the job. NOW, it’s suddenly a big deal how much people are making. Does this seem odd to anyone but me? Why hasn’t this been covered Josh?
By james bown/Liberty Township
May 14, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
HAVE I GOT A COMMENT FOR YOU ALL. “DIG A LITTEL DEEPER IN THE WELL”AND THAT’S THEIR OIL WELL,OLE BUDDIE.TRY TO STOP BY WALMART YESTERDAY, WALMART WAS KIND OF SLOW,NOT MANEY IN THERE ,BUT MAN THE GAS STATION OUT ON PRINCETON RD.$3.66 A GAL.YOU WOULD THINK BY THE LINE OF CAR’S,THEY WERE GIVING IT AWAY,THE MORE YOU PUMP OUT OF THEIR TANKS, THE MORE THEY CAN PUT BACK IN THEM.LIKE SHOOTING YOURSELF IN YOUR OWN FOOT.HOPE ALL OF YOU GOT GOOD HEALTH INSURANCES.FEET DON’T COME “CHEAP”…HAPPY MOTORING…
By CR
May 14, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this
Uh? Hello,I’m sorry but I don’t get a raise, why should they? I see how much they make. Just like the administrator of all the schools, they get the big raises when they pass levies right off the top, but not the teachers! Learn to live within your means! Be happy to just have a job! Some people are not fortunate to even have one. Raise of inflation? Well, it happens to all of us! You can live in your fine fancy houses, but one day you will be right there with the rest of us! No raises!
By SnowMan
May 14, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this
Hey! it’s the county people give them a brake, or should we put the BRAKES on and stop all this B.S.You local’s been to the gas pumps as of late.They need the money.Think it’s bad now,wait till the SNOWMAN comes around next winter, they’ll need to rasie the City income taxs for more gas money to claen the streets. Oh!and all that comp time.Guess we’ll need the streets clean, so we can get up town to sign up for Food Stamp’s.Happy Motoring..Walking better for your “Health” anyway.Have a Nice Nite
By Tabloid Reader
May 14, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
(cont’d from below) In closing, I believe the Journal News should freeze Josh Sweigart’s salary and investigate his investigative reporting. He’s not reporting facts, he refers to a few people’s salaries and the STATE OF OHIO’s pay increase policy and automatically reports it as a Butler County wide standard. His reports couldn’t be any further from the truth. Josh, If someone told you that all county employees were Werewolves what would you do? Sell us aluminum bullets and call them silver?
By Tabloid Reader
May 14, 2008 7:56 AM | Link to this
(cont’d from below) Not all county employees receive those kind of raises, infact, the 7% and 4% annual raises he’s referring to only occur in Job and Family Services which is not a county office but a State of Ohio office. Besides Environmental Services, the rest of the county is lucky to see a 3% cost of living increase. This guy (Sweigart) has a personal agenda to further his own career. Josh, if you want to be a journalist…..report actual NEWS, or at least the truth.
By Dede
May 14, 2008 7:19 AM | Link to this
No wonder the county won’t help provide public transportation. They’re spending our money on huge salaries. It’s time for the average person to take back our county government and get rid of the fat cats! And then we need to start on the City of Hamilton.
By VietVet
May 14, 2008 7:18 AM | Link to this
What is wrong with holding the pay raises until the investigation ends,paying retroactive to the hold date on pay that is in line. Don’t understand the unions insistence here.The employees getting 7% raises each year-ridiculous.At privately owned companies,a typical raise would be 2-4%.Some companies don’t give raises for the year, depending on the profits.Expecting a 7%,followed by a 4% if promoted?-Whoever adopted that policy should be fired immediately.Gov-get pay in line with the rest of us.
By Dede
May 14, 2008 7:09 AM | Link to this
It’s time county employees stop holding the rest of us hostage to their paychecks. According to the article in the paper several days ago at least one person received about a 12,000 raise in the peroid of a couple of years. Unless this person is a superhero there is no way they are worth that much money. We as taxpayers need to take a stand and stop this load of crap! Let those people live in the real world like the rest of us have to. We’re lucky to get a 3% raise every couple of years.
By Dede
May 14, 2008 7:08 AM | Link to this
It’s time county employees stop holding the rest of us hostage to their paychecks. According to the article in the paper several days ago at least one person received about a 12,000 raise in the peroid of a couple of years. Unless this person is a superhero there is no way they are worth that much money. We as taxpayers need to take a stand and stop this load of crap! Let those people live in the real world like the rest of us have to. We’re lucky to get a 3% raise every couple of years.