A few weeks ago, Court Administrator Jermaine Greene asked Northampton County Council to approve the creation of a few PT youth care workers at the Juvenile Justice Center in the hope he could get some help. But as he himself acknowledged, the real problem there is the low starting salary.
Last night, County Council's Personnel Committee was asked to approve the elimination of some PT clerks and the creation of a clerk's position with a starting salary at a whopping $14.34 an hour. The full Council will vote on this proposal tonight.
At a time when you can make more money flipping burgers, it's ridiculous to expect people to work for this pittance.
County Council adopted a responsible contractor ordinance to ensure that the trades unions have good paying jobs. It insists on living wages at all projects built with county dollars. Its own Clerk is making over $100,000 a year. In her state senate bid, Council member Tara Zrinski is calling for both a $15 minimum wage and no co-pay health insurance.
What these politicians preach and what they practice are two different things.
Executive Lamont McClure wants to spend $15 million at Gracedale to beef up the salaries there after repeatedly insisting that the low wages paid are not part of the problem. That money should be used to beef up the wages everywhere.
22 comments:
Northampton County Council has approved a county pay study. Your county executive Lamont McClure has publicly attacked them for doing it. He has said a pay study is unnecessary. Word is he told his minions not to be cooperative with the study. He famously loves to say money is not the answer to staff issues. That is while he shovels millions to businesses to promote himself.
Your takeaway from all this is that County Council is oblivious to low wages paid to workforce. Alrighty then. Love is surely blind.
Is there a way to just raise the wages of these workers? There are many folks in Human Services that have decent wages coupled with the benefit package. The vacation and sick leave are liberal. Years ago, in Human Services the membership decided in negotiations to forego pressing as hard for wages for the higher paid caseworkers and lobbied for the clerical staff to get increases. We were successful in getting them raises. Not sure how it is now but we stuck up for each other even if we all did not get the same increases.
This Council is a disgrace. They know the Administration is supposed to do a pay survey every two years and they sit idly by and do nothing. They have a major crisis at Gracedale and they do nothing. The employees at the Courthouse/government center are crying out for help and it falls on deaf ears. The morale of the county employees is highly visible when visiting the courthouse and it is at an all time low, but council turns a deaf ear to the legitimate concerns of its greatest asset, the employees. They should all be impeached. They are useless elected officials taking their orders from McClure. They are not an independent body. They are an embarrassment to the term "public servant".
4:26, I think I've been clear that McClure is unwilling to even acknowledge that people need more money. This new position is a perfect opportunity for Council to say no more low paying jobs. Instead, no one says a word. That is hypocrisy. No one working 40 hour weeks for the county should be paid under $15 an hour. Tara Z even screams this on her campaign page. They are ALL at fault.
If the admin claims we have to abide by the union contract, it is time to sit down with union reps and do something. They are a disgrace, too, for allowing this absolute abuse.
All of a sudden Cusick has an epiphany and after 20 years on council he reads the home rule charter. Hey John what about the annual reassessment that you failed to do as president of council for 6 years or anything else of substance?
I truly become irate when people begin to bash our commissioners, some new to his or her position. It is unfortunate, as well, that Mr. McClure is the executive for another four years. I look back at the promises he made one year into his “reign” about Gracedale and how he has botched that entire situation, at the expense of the residents, their families and county workers. Nothing should be done with Gracedale until the bids are received, a study conducted and then reviewed about Gracedale.
they get their raises and finds ways to skim more money. Someone needs to review all their finances.
Anon 651am made the point I wanted to ask about - historically, workers accepted lower pay in government jobs in return for gold-plated benefit and retirement packages.
What are the benefits and retirement packages for NorCo workers?
Lol. What can the unions do. They dont negotiate. Its take it or go to arbitration. Give all his buddies raises but nothing for the unions. " your getting a 2.5% raise "when you make 17.00 an houlr
I would help PT, but I will not apply because of what happened during Domestic Investors test. The guys that were hired were not Evan in the room on that snowy day. Additionally ,whom ever made up the test , didn’t understand some legal issues. This was 30 years ago. To me it’s not the money , it’s about turning lives around . When I was a sub in P-Purg school district,all the kids know who Alexander Hamilton was and what he did.
Historically, most likely. But times have changed! Show me where a county or municipal employee relieves a 'gold-plated benefit and retirement package'. That no longer exists. Yes there is a ton of paid holiday, sick and vacation time. But that does not make it 'gold-plated'.
They are amazing!!! But those who never worked in private sector still complain because they have no point of reference. Paid time off. Suck time personal days. All federal holidays and good healthcare benefits. And a pension that most people would do anything for
They just keep chipping away at that also. Every contract something goes up in benefits. Plus what people have to understand since they took are steps away it kills the employees retirement fund. Just say you're a corrections officer. If you started anywhere around 2010 your never gonna top out on the steps. They don't give them to the employees.
The county executive loves to run around talking about how much money is in the retirement fund. But as the employees retire that are topped out they are going to deplete that fund fast. Your gonna have retired employees making more then the working employees. The well will run dry. And fast. If you were hired after 2011 ( over a decade ago) you have no medical benefits when you retire.
It is disheartening when you here people say those county employees are gonna have it made 20 and out. Lol
The way it will work out at the jail your looking at anywhere from 35 to 40 years to top out. So you retirement package is growing at this ridiculous small amount that you can not retire.
Funny thing is the only thing county employees are asking for is their steps. They are there just give them to us. Not a 10 bucks an hour raise. Will be fine getting that over 10 years . But to just know your gonna get there.
Maybe we can get the raise the county executive and council gave the executive and his cabinet. Some ppl got over 40% raise. Gotta be nice. Give that right now to the county employees they won't ask for a raise for 10 years.
9:23, you say that, but you constantly attack the council while pussy footing around with your buddy McClure. Is Steve giving you your administration script? Why not go after the man who states he is in charge and will sue anyone including council if they interfere with his power.
Sorry, you sound like a hypocrite.
Let’s get one thing straight, all Americans are underpaid and it’s time for Socializing Medical Care and bringing back defined pensions. If we don’t wise and rise up we will end up paying all of our monies for health care instead of enjoying our retirement. Maybe we should have a day of striking to wake up all employer’s about the inefficiency of our capitalistic society. Then we can become mainstreamed with the other major countries that have free medical care for all of it citizens. This should be the fight for our rights as human beings.
I have repeatedly criticized McClure over the liw wages paid to county employees. But guess what? County Council sets the pay. In this instance they had a perfect opportunity to refuse to fund a position unless the starting pay was $15. They let it go. One of them is running for the state senate and is advocating a $15 minimum wage. She is s hypocrite. So are those who demand living wages to help the trade unions on county projects while ignoring their own workers. That includes McClure and Council
The Unions all give money to their campaigns. So when they say they care about living wage and good benefits. That only applies if you're a union worker and your union gave them money.
Don't hold your breath for Zrinski to make a move on a $15 wage, she is a phony. Speeches are her thing not real action. She has coned so many people with her big talk, sadly they are unaware of how ineffective she is and has been. Neither She nor McClure give a damn about the wages of the county workforce. Zrinski's main goal is to get a cush state elected position in Harrsiburg. Nothing but a self-serving narcissist.
I totally understand. But I for sure would not call it 'gold plated'. It is great as I for one do receive them, not in the county though. But times have changed. Some people do not receive the great pension plan as people who are grandfathered into the older plan do, etc. Also benefit plans have changed TREMENDOUSLY!
Don't have to start at 15 an hour. If the county actually gave the steps EVERY year. They wouldn't have a problem. And we are different from the private sector. We top out. The private sector does not.
I stated years back when I worked there that the county will dumb down the workforce. It's almost done. Low wages, lack of pension and higher cost benefits. I know of people who have been interviewed for a job that have walked out when asking for the starting salary. Never see thew fat cats taking a hit, just the employees. Many are leaving or have left due to this. Monty and Chucky don't care. So much for the democrats stating the support the family and employees. I call BS.
It’s well known amongst human service/social workers that NorCo wages are a joke. How many years have they gone now without a union contract - 6? 7? The smart people are driving 20 minutes away to Lehigh county, where they get better wages and their Master’s degree paid for - while on a sabbatical at 70% of their salary.
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