Last night, on my way to a meeting, I was approached by a Northampton County worker I never met and did not know. I'll keep her name out of this or what she does. But I was so impressed that I want to tell you a little bit about her. She's a college graduate who has worked for the County for over 20 years. She administers a program that requires a great deal of independence and effort. But she is paid so poorly that she has to work two part-time jobs to be able to provide for her children. You see, she is at the top of her scale. When others get raises, she gets a pat on the back.
She told me this with no bitterness or animosity. She seems genuinely happy with her life and all three of her jobs.
Incidentally, she is the norm, not the exception.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Friday, September 04, 2015
40 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
She does get a defined benefit public pension for life as well as great health care now and for lade. Since you exaggerate due to wanting to get in your shots at Brown, I am sure she makes more than 35K a year. Throw in the benefits and she is doing better than many.
ReplyDeleteThis is getting as repetitive as your Pawlowski rants.
This post was not designed to take a shot at Brown, but to show how wrong anonymous cowards like you are.
ReplyDelete35 K?
ReplyDeleteShe's an overpaid "hall walker"!!!
LOL!!!!!!
So is your mother!
DeleteOh cry me a river - been sucking the public teat for over 2 decades - boring!!!!
ReplyDeletewhat exactly is your point? she's happy.....she's not a slave....she has the freedom to leave anytime.....
ReplyDelete....anonymous coward
The county will continue to lose hard working people in all positions. This will leave programs and citizens vulnerable. It will also eventually leave the county liable and will cost more in the end than giving regular raises to the diligent effective workers that help county's most vulnerable citizens.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the point is she is not overpaid or she would not need 2 part time jobs to survive.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct Bernie. Most of the top scale employees are happy and yet unappreciated. They don't get raises and yet they continue on making ends meet as best as they can. You never hear a bad word about them. You would think the county would reward them with at least a OOLA raise but I don't see that happening. All of the extra funds available go to either the Unions or special people. Sad !
ReplyDeletePrunella Potts says:
ReplyDeleteNorthampton County employees co-pay for their medical benefits, and when they retire that co-pay follows them into retirement and they co-pay the same amount even though Medicare/medicaid picks up 80% of their cost for medical and the County's cost drops to 20% of the cost. Also, County Employees pay 5% of their gross earnings into their pension fund. Most people don't realize this fact. They carp about County employees getting high wages when in fact they are very poorly paid. The last wage scale analysis was more than 20 years ago. It took into consideration wages paid, benefits costs, and pension payments and the salaries were set accordingly. Ever since then, the County Executives and the County Council have balanced the budgets on the backs of employees (Democrats and Republicans alike).
So is she working 2 jobs because she is a mom of 2? I would say all of my single mom/marrried mom friends with 2 kids that have corporate jobs also work 2 jobs to make ends meet or do it for personal reasons. Also, I have 3 jobs ( full time and 2 part time) and I am a mother of 2. I don't get it. I work a in the private sector and pay the taxes that she earns just like we all do. The title sounds like county employees have some different reality than the rest if the working world or deserve to have an easier reality. Why is that? Is it because that's what they were accustomed to and come to expect? Some sort of preferential reality above the rest of the working class? It obviously couldn't/cant sustain itself so here we all are. Private and public sector doing what we can as a whole. You are right. Incidentally it is the norm....everywhere. you make a good point. She is at the top of her scale. So I am hoping your main purpose of the piece is to point out that the scale system has unintended consequences??? Not sure.
ReplyDeleteI have a decent paying job thanks to my investment in education. I also have 3 additional part time engagements. The part time work doesn't indicate that my primary job is not adequate, I use the part time work as a boost. The county employee working mother is a model citizen. We should be thankful to have people with her work ethic on the county payroll. I doubt highly she is a hall walker or a recipient.
ReplyDeleteThere's no rule that mandates that you only work one job unless you have an entitlement mentality. Hustle now and retire comfortably.
Hokie Joe's brother Pokie Joe says;
ReplyDeleteToday in County Government, Almost all jobs are very skilled or highly technical in nature. They are specialized in that they require higher levels of job skills and knowledge in speciality fields. I'm not talking about the clerk who takes a payment across a counter, I'm talking about the employees who deal with peoples lives and very well being. I'm talking about issues in the drug and alcohol field, aging, children and youth, the court system. When these people make mistakes, lives are affected in a very negative way. These people usually require some college and higher education as well as technical training. these people are very poorly paid for what they have to do.
I have had only good experiences when going to the county for assistance, in several different departments. Friendly people who go out of their way to help.
ReplyDeleteBernie's blogs are getting ridiculous he doesn't think them through, this employee he says has been there for 20 years, his buddy John Stoffa was county executive for eight of those years, what did John Stoffa do for 365 days a year times 8. All of a sudden now it's a problem.
ReplyDeleteIf the cost of living in the LV wasn't overinflated (because we are now a suburb of NYC) the woman would not need 3 jobs to get by. You can't afford to live here, if you work here.
ReplyDelete8:33,
ReplyDeleteOMG - the poor child has to contribute to her pension and health care. BLATANT INJUSTICE
The point of my post is that people like the lady I met yesterday are good and dedicated people who really care about their job and the people they serve; do not sit back and whine; are motivated enough to work several jobs to care for their families; and are underpaid. My post is designed for the anonymous cowards who attack people in the public sector simply bc they are in the public sector. There are some very negative people out there, and I wanted to counteract some of the usual garbage they post anonymously. They don't get my point, which is no surprise.
ReplyDelete10:56, John Stoffa did have a pay study done, but many of those at the top were redlined. There really needs to be an adjustment of the pay scales. This blog does not exist to protect John Stoffa or attack John Brown, so you have a basic misunderstanding. Though I have high regard for Stoffa, this blog exists to tell the truth. If that pay study should have been implemented during his eight years in office, so be it. John himself would be the first to admit there are many things he wanted to do but could not. I think we have a basic obligation to do right by our workers. There is no reason why an educated employee with two decades of experience, and a person who performs an important role in the county, should have to work three jobs.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
DeleteIs this Brown guy the same one that made Obomas wifes dress making allentowns boys in blue diapers for the notorious hamilton street gang o thugs to be givin to them at the palumpadome with the entrance exit speech of humtydupties cheif¿!($
redd
patent pending
Redd, I think you are on stronger stuff than Mezzacappa. You make Gregory look sane.
DeleteAS opposed to not working at all, right O'hare? When was your last "job"?
ReplyDeleteIt is a very sad day for America when working 1 full time and 2 part time are the norm! And what is even worse are the people who hate on those who think its wrong.
ReplyDelete12:46, aka Tricia Mezzacappa, your bail conditions require that you refrain from all contact with me, direct or indirect. You can be counted on to ignore the court, both here and even on LVL. If you do not think this is being monitored, you are mistaken.
ReplyDeleteJust like the unhappy clerk in Kentucky, if you don't like your job, you are free to leave. Unsustainable pensions and Gracedale are why none of us can have nice things
ReplyDelete12:05......you miss the point (probably intentionally). The point is that they pay a portion of their pay for their benefits (pensions contributions are mandated by the state). That is considered as part of their wages. The employees recognize that issue. The main point is when you add all this together, they are still under paid when compared to the private sector.
ReplyDelete"there are many things he wanted to do but could not"
ReplyDeleteCould not or would not??
Like throwing almost 1000 county employees to the Wolves at Gracedale. Maybe if he was less interested in his Bethlehem palace of waste, employees would be better off financially. He inherited the biggest surplus in county history and, poof.
This is not about stove or brown get over your hate
ReplyDeletelet's all throw up and cry on BO's command. After all he is all knowing and all seeing. Should run for exec then all would be well. U r just another Norco loser bo.
ReplyDeleteAlways will be.............
Considering that the judges in Northampton County make more than a US Senator, I wonder if they would sacrifice any of their salary for their staff and administrators?
ReplyDeleteNorthampton County could pay better wages to their hardworking employees if they stop spending money on contracts with facilities that don't have staff with the proper credentials to perform such services under that contract.
ReplyDeleteShady Stuff going on!!!!
DeleteIn the Mental Health Dept.!!!!!
DeletePatent pending? Don't worry - it won't be awarded. What a pile of rubbish, redd.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Obama's "rising tide to lift all boats"?
ReplyDeleteSeven years later, it does appear as if The Cool Guy failed to deliver.
Shucky darn.
Amazing that so many ignorant and stupid people fell for Obama's "rising tide to lift all boats" BS - twice.
ReplyDeleteFool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice ...
It's interesting how the public is fine in paying teachers with Masters degrees between 80K and 100K, but County employees with Masters degrees (like half of all employees at juvenile probation) will only attain 50K to 70K. Disparity? Just a little bit. But I'm sure the haters will roll out from under the rocks that they live in and say that County employees are worthless and deserve to be underpaid.
ReplyDeleteI also just looked at the payroll (available on Express Times website) for Assistant District Attorneys and they were paid less than 70K, as well. If the public has a beef regarding compensation, then they should complain, with zeal, at the school districts, not the County employee.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't all these magnificent people with their Masters degrees go out into the private sector then if Big Government's salary sucks so much?
ReplyDeleteOh, let's see 10:30 AM...because, maybe, high school dropouts, like yourself, can't be Assistant District Attorneys? You need to go beyond sixth grade, unlike yourself, in order to practice before the Court.
ReplyDelete