Bonus banter leads to frank talk

Bonus banter leads to frank talk

City officials, employees opine on pay

news@theeveningtimes.com

“I’m going to give you what you asked for,” said West Memphis City Councilman Marco McClendon to the big audience of city workers at the last meeting of year. Even as McClendon set to cast his vote for a year end bonus for city employees he questioned the long term wisdom of the move.

After hearing pleads from an elected representative of the electrical department and the street department, McClendon polled the workers on hand asking to see how many preferred the 3 percent bonus over a raise. The vast majority voiced approval for the bonus. Carlos Chamber said most of the workers at the Utilities he represented wanted raises but would take whatever was offered.

Before the meeting Mayor Bill Johnson told Council members he knew the feelings among city employees were mixed but recommended the year end bonus. Identical bonuses were issued since 2012. This time the Mayor made a first time recommendation adding a $500 bump for first year employees. But on the floor Councilwoman Lorraine Robinson doubled the proposed take for current first year employees to a flat $1,000 to cover all rookies and even probationary employees from day one of BONUS

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city service.

In a do-the-math moment McClendon broke out some numbers to illuminate city workers calling for the year end bonus.

“You do realize if you had taken 3 percent raises these years instead of bonuses you would all be making 18 percent more than you are now,” said McClendon.

“I’m voting for the bonus because I believe you need it and you asked for a bonus, but the bonus a just one-time thing.”

The Councilman reacted after Frank Paige and Carlos

Chambers had addressed City Council about

pay. The pair said raises come too infrequently and the pay scale is lower than comparable cities in the State.

Chambers expressed appreciation for what the City Council had done regarding the last raise, bonuses and benefit costs in the last year. Chambers is a journeyman lineman and took issue with Budget Chairman Tracy Catt. He asked why he should have to sell his property and move to make a competitive wage.

“We need help,” said Chambers. “Tracy Catt was going to research and get back to us but we have not heard from him. On average we are seven dollars below average, it’s a hit.”

Chambers wanted raises in return for faithful service.

“We do our best for the city,” said Chambers. “We are hard workers. When a storm comes up we are out there on it. We aren’t thinking that we are getting below average pay; we are getting the lights back on.”

Street Department employee Frank Paige said his piece about bonus and raises. He started with his personal pay history.

“I’ve been here 18 years and got a promotion in 2008 to street foreman,” said Paige. “Since then until 2016 I only make fifty cents more than when I started.”

Paige said in his 18 years the city had given only 7 raises and that promises that as revenue from Southland rose so would city pay rates.

“How can we keep good help? We’ve got to do something. We were told when the dog track was up and rolling we’d get a raise every year or two. It hasn’t happen yet.”

Councilman James Pulliaum responded to the speeches before he voted for the bonus. Flat sales tax revenue now makes it difficult to offer a raise that carries into the future.

“One of the things that makes it hard on us is that not many departments in the city actually generate funds,” said Pulliaum. “We don’t want to look down the road and have to lay somebody off. That could be real devastating vs.

never getting a raise. We hate to get down the road and have to lay somebody off. We’ve never had to do that before and we don’t want to have to get into that.”

After the meeting Mayor Johnson responded to Paige claiming he only made 50 cents more.

“He knows that’s not true but he says it anyway,” said Johnson. “His actual payroll

record: 19 years ago he made $785 every two

weeks. Now he makes $1,493. That’s fifty cents?

Alumni support Operation Santa Storm

The West Memphis-Marion Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc donated a $500 check to CASA to be used to purchase Christmas gifts for the children. (Pictured l-r are Chapter Vice Polemarch D'James Rogers II, Jeanette Gilliam of CASA, and Chapter Polemarch Grandon Gray.

Submitted photo

By John Rech