creases for themselves and non-unionized government employees in check Tuesday at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, and very nearly passed a freeze at last year’s level.
Supervisor Richard Schlag, D-German, moved to amend a Republican-dominated Personnel Committee resolution that would have paid no increases to part timers and employees earning over $60,000, and from 2.5 to 3.25 percent for three tiers identified in between.
Schlag’s amendment, which was seconded by Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, established 1.5 percent raises to all compensation schedule employees. The board agreed to amend in a vote of 15 to 7, and the measure was later adopted into law by a vote of 16 to 6. Finance Committee Vice Chairman Supervisor Dennis Brown, D-Pharsalia, who supported a raise freeze, agreed to vote with the majority in the final tally.
But it was Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan, D-Preston, who garnered unprecedented support for a motion to amend Personnel’s resolution. His motion to freeze increases, seconded by Brown, was narrowly defeated after a weighted count of 1,246 votes to 1,110. Republicans David C. Law of Norwich, Jerry L. Kreiner of Plymouth and William C. Craine of Sherburne, who is running unopposed for county treasurer next month, broke ranks from their party in support of the Democrats. Schlag was the only Democrat to vote against a freeze.
The two amendments and subsequent votes were part of a nearly two-hour meeting yesterday, one of the longest sessions of the county board in recent memory.
The compensation schedule, although unofficial as of press time, would total more than $4 million. Depending on salary levels, employees received between 3 and 5 percent rate increases this year.
Wilcox first pulled Personnel’s proposal for discussion. He said there would be “a perceived problem” with leaving no increases for department directors and part-timers, and described them as “some of the employees we depend on the most to keep us within budget.”
Fellow Republican Supervisor John M. Phelan, Sr. of Coventry said the proposed schedule was “totally inequitable” and suggested 3 percent raises for all except those earning above $60,000, who would receive 2.5 percent. Phelan’s suggestion was supported by Wilcox and fellow Republican City of Norwich Supervisor Linda E. Natoli, who argued that the suggested raises were “subjective” and “hurt those we depend upon the most.”
“We’re telling them that they aren’t as important to us as the bargaining units. We will lose that money fourfold in morale. It’s just wrong,” said Natoli.
“To say no to a certain segment of employees is asking for another union in a real hurry,” Phelan said.
Previously negotiated 2011 contracts for the Civil Service Employees Association and the nurses bargaining unit increased unionized government workers’ salaries from 3 to 4.5 percent. Contracts for law enforcement and corrections are still in negotiation.
Phelan’s recommendation never materialized into a motion, however, as Flanagan’s amendment to freeze raises at 2010 levels came first. Pointing to a fall last year in real income in New York State for the first time in 70 years, and no cost of living increase this year for those receiving Social Security income, Flanagan said the county “has to start someplace” to cut back.
“We have to stop going to the well in our aging community who are reliant on Social Security,” he said.
He further suggested the freeze would send a signal to unions that the county is in fiscal straits.
“Perhaps they will listen. I’m not against mom, apple pie and nurses. I’m against going broke,” he said.
Brown said Chenango County’s public employees have been, for the past 10 years, the leading wage earners in the county and have had the best benefit package of any workplace.
“We pay people well. Industries aren’t paying this much money. Our workers are not doing bad. They’ve got government retirement and health insurance packages like no one else. It’s not a bad gig,” said Brown.
But Schlag said while he agreed raises should be minimal, during this time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty, workers deserved something.
“I agree it should be minimal, but to give nothing is counterproductive,” he said.
As a member of the Personnel Committee, Kreiner said he supported zero increases for part-timers because he had discovered that 90 percent of them held dual positions with the county. He also said the top tier of wage earners were paid well.
“You would be hard pressed to ask for similar duties that paid that much in the private sector. Plus you also need to take into account state retirement and health benefits,” he said.
Natoli questioned how raises could be approved for certain employees but not for others without performance reviews.
“We are sorely lacking in this,” she said.
Supervisor James Bays, D-Smyrna, said he agreed with Natoli and couldn’t vote for any compensation schedule that lacked employee performance appraisals.
Bays asked Wilcox for a check on the county’s reserves, which stood at $18.1 million before yesterday’s meeting. Two other resolutions that were adopted took huge chunks out of surplus: $750,000 to cover health care overages and $62,000 for overtime in the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department of Corrections. The Sheriff has requested a total of about $250,000 from surplus to cover overtime expenditures this year.
“With $750,000 added to this year’s health plan coming from surplus, $250,000 for overtime at the jail, $1 million increase in health benefits for next year and a million increase in pensions also, we are going further into the hole,” Flanagan said.
2010’s employee benefits were nearly $8 million.
Natoli motioned to direct the Personnel Committee to create a performance review system. Schlag seconded, and the motion was adopted.
Flanagan motioned to ask Personnel to revisit negotiations with the four bargaining units that represent employees. McNeil seconded, and the motion passed.