At last night's very brief meeting (24 minutes), Northampton County Council voted 8-0 to approve a three-year term sheet for the AFSCME union employees at Gracedale. They will receive COLAs (cost of living adjustments over the next three years in the amounts of 4%, 3.5% and 3%.
While these increases appear small, they follow and agreement between the county and AFSCME last year. They addressed the two most important issues raised in a County Council-ordered operational assessment of Gracedale by Affinity Health Services - the need to pay more money as well as an ability to hire experienced nursing staff at levels commensurate with their time on the job.
The changes made last year are as follows:
CNAs. - The previous starting rate for a CNA was $14.28 an hour. (Pay grade 4, step 3). The new starting rate is $16.61 an hour. That's a base pay of $34,538 a year. CNAs working the second shift already get an extra $1.50 an hour, and those who work third shift get an extra $1.00 an hour. On top of that, CNAs get an extra $0.75 an hour just for showing up on weekdays, and $3.00 an hour just for showing up on weekends. So, a new CNA who works second shift on a weekend will actually be getting $21.11 an hour.
It gets better. The bottom three steps have been eliminated so that all new hires will start at $16.61. Moreover, three new steps have been added to the top of the scale.
A CNA who has 5-10 years of experience in that role at another facility will start at $17.80 an hour. One with 10+ years on the job can be hired at $25.38.
LPNs. - The previous starting rate for a LPN was $21.35 an hour. (Pay grade 9, step 3). The new starting rate is $23.69 an hour. That's a base pay of $49.269 a year. LPNs who work the second shift already get an extra $2.50 an hour, and those who work third shift get an extra $2.00 an hour. On top of that, LPNs get an extra $3 an hour just for showing up on weekdays, and $4 an hour on weekends. So, a new LPN who works second shift on a weekend will actually be getting $27.85 an hour.
As with the CNAs, the bottom three steps have been eliminated so that all new hires will start at $23.69. Moreover, three new steps have been added to the top of the scale.
A LPN who has 5-10 years of experience in that role at another facility will start at $25.38 an hour. One with 10+ years on the job can be hired at $27.17.
The new term sheet for Gracedale workers was approved 8-0. Council member Ron Heckman was absent.
The meeting did start off bizarrely enough, with Beverly Hernandez attempting to deliver a diatribe during courtesy of the floor. She was shocked to learn that she gets only five minutes and is barred from using other speakers to waive their time in favor of her. Last time she was in front of County Council, she threatened them with the curses of Leviticus and the wrath of an Old Testament God.
This time, she suggested the county does nothing about the homeless and that she went out herself and gave a blanket to one of them. "First they came for the Catholics," she said, and then asked if anyone has read the Constitution." She also complained about the price of eggs. She also claimed she speaks for the people and complained about a lack of interpreters or someone who could use sign language. She then said she wanted to talk about Gracedale but her time was up.
I knew Beverly Hernandez when she was a nice Republican person. She is now officially off the hook.
When she was done, she was admonished by Republican John Goffredo. "When you come up here and attack us as if we're automatically the enemy, it makes us automatically not want to listen. It's the same thing I say to people on the other side of the aisle. ... If we're fighting each other, we're never gonna; fix anything."
Later that evening, Executive Lamont McClure addressed Council about both Lehigh and Northampton County spend millions every year to address the issue of homelessness. "If money was the only answer, we wouldn't have a homelessness problem."
Hernandez was not there.
She left right after her rambling lecture.
Every right has a corollary duty. The right to speak includes a duty to listen.
25 comments:
So with these increses, will there still be no anticipated county contribution as per the approved 2025 budget? What was the operating deficit for 2024?
What is the point of extra steps if you never move up steps in their classification. The union bosses are up the executive's butt.
What a dynamic and well-run County ! DCED Director is an absolute gem of a public servant.
Lamont McClure is still working hard for the people.
God Bless Lamont !
I’ll assume your comment was genuine and not sarcastically written.
Tina is an absolute gem to this county and its residents. She has proven time and time again to go beyond her capabilities to try to help anyone in need and she runs a very efficient office. I hope whomever is elected as next executive truly keeps some of these directors that are an asset to us all no matter their “political” affiliation.
The pay “step system” is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. There is no way you can be competitive in an already hectic market. Until local governments get rid of this out dated system, there will always be issues.
It is true McClure is the most pro-Labor Exec in County hx.
Different anonymous here, to also state Tina is an absolute asset to the county
Well at least they figured out the way to try to save gracedale and the staffing issues is with money....and the pay.
Let's see if they do it at other facilities in the county. I surely believe other departments in the county are short staffed. Let's see how they handle the issues at the jail. Oh wait the new director told county council at the budget hear everything is great. He doesn't need anything. And with the new class that was coming in January would almost fix the staffing issues at the jail.
Did anyone ever look into his accusations? See if that happened?
Is Ms Beverly still under the spell of the wanna-be underwear model Stevie & the Slate Belt Cult. Asking for..... well..... no one.
Will the Medicaid reimbursement rate increase 4%, 3.5%, and 3% over the next three years?
4% raise is small? Greedy. Disband the union!
Extra steps allow long term employees at the top step to get a percentage and not a lump sum. No one is losing anything this way. Before I retired I would have loved to have a percentage instead of a lump sum year after year.
Beverly was a strong supporter of the Republican Party. She appears to need some help which I hope someone obtains for her.
If the Fed goes through with the funding cuts, the salaries and extra dollars will be the least of Gracedale’s concerns. The county will need to find 2 million dollars per year to float the total needs of keeping Gracedale open, and a way to keep taxpayers away from tax increases. . Let’s hope these council people are staying vigilant on not just county level, but federal level also.
The new rates are still Way behind lehigh county/cedarbrook. An lpn with the same shift makes $10 more over there at lehigh county. Don’t believe me, look at the Indeed posting over there.
I work at a hospital..those wages are pathetic, I don't know why anyone would work at Gracedale when you can make much more elsewhere.
AFSCME is missing some letters. AFSCOMMIE. Fixed it.
Do some work Crowley !
Smoke and mirrors by McClure and you eat it up. How can Ms. Smith give away a county property van, which is an asset that still operates without a vote by county council voting.
It was great to see Tara Zrinski at Rep. McNeil’s St. Patrick’s Day event. Tara’s Labor support is off the charts !
Patient care jobs are incredibly hard to do, take good training and tons of experience to perform well. Until you try to bathe a frail elderly patient who is hitting or spitting on you, change clothing or dressings for a patient screaming in pain or fear, fed a patient who can't or won't eat, all with the most compassion you can muster, you have no dog in the fight. This is where the sickest and poorest end up. They deserve good pay and respect, and work hard. You cannot compare these jobs with factory or construction job pay rates
So are Sheriffs, Corrections, and 911. And thus they continue to migrate...
Tara's support of labor is off the charts because she was never on the charts, she never supported labor in anything but speeches.
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