Council to Reconsider Pay for City Employees
Monday, October 21 2013
Unalaska’s council will hold a special work session tonight at 6 p.m. to talk about compensation for city employees.
Lori Messer of Fox Lawson and Associates will present the results of a yearlong, $65,000 study, comparing Unalaska’s pay structure to municipalities in Alaska and Washington State.
Overall, the study finds that Unalaska’s current salary minimums, midpoints, and maximums are competitive with other cities. But the salary range for some jobs -- including fire chief and city engineer -- are at least 15% below the market rate, while other positions, such as heavy equipment operator and corrections officer, are more than 20% above the going rate.
Fox Lawson recommends a new structure for classifying employees and setting pay ranges that’s based on the quality and rigor of work -- not the cost of living in Unalaska.
In their report to the city, the consultants say that kind of pay structure “creates confusion among employees and sends the message that the purpose of the compensation program is to reimburse them for their cost of living when the primary purpose of a compensation program is to pay employees for the work being performed.”
Fox Lawson consultant Lori Messer will be at the meeting tonight to explain the results of the study and take questions from the council.
Messer visited Unalaska in September and November of 2012 to conduct research for the study. She circulated questionnaires among the city departments and met with employees to talk about their work responsibilities.
Assistant city manager Patrick Jordan says he’s sent memos to the directors of Unalaska’s various departments informing them of the meeting. City employees are welcome to attend the meeting, Jordan says.
The work session starts at 6 p.m. tonight in City Hall.
Jester on Friday, October 25 2013:
Worst idea ever is right, if lower 48 wages are to be paid why not live there? The city management loves to pay consultants big money to address simple ideas. Nobody but city administrators get to hire consultants to do their jobs.
Helen Stanley on Thursday, October 24 2013:
All your remarks are expected because I believe you're all jealous of the City Employees. But, you shouldn't be. When there is an 80 mph wind blowing snow and rain and your City's employees are out plowing snow, repairing utilities and whatever needs to be done so you can have your luxuries in this harsh environment, remember, you said they shouldn't get paid as much as they are.
As far as the City being top heavy, where do you think the grants come from to do these projects the community wants done? Who goes to the State Legislators to beg for more money to do those projects? Who do you think manages those projects? Who do you see picking up garbage along the roadways every spring that you people threw there the winter before? It's all coordinated by the City Administration. They can't even get you people to go to the Council meetings, do you think for a second you can do their job? I worked for a City in the lower 48 for 25 years and I know it's a hard job that demands at least 10 hours a day and deserves good pay. I also know that as a whole your all a bunch of spoiled children that couldn't fend for yourself without the City employees.
Just Saying.. on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
There seems to be a lot of ignorance being shown here. Its peoples opinion....yes and some may be facts but, the bottomline may be this...When there is crime, drugs, etc...and these people are arrested and housed in jail...for those of you who have no idea what housing these law breakers consist of..it sounds like more than what you or I would really do. I for one say let the inmates take care of themselves but again it sounds like some are unable to in there state when arrested. Where the real concern is..is what was mentioned earlier...It will not change until the administration is changed and the fat trimmed. It looks lime the administration makes a ton of money and even more benefits. If I had 1/3 of those "perks" i would be happy. Trim the fat people...or administration will be walking away with their pockets lined even more. The city is going through the motions just as a show but it will increase monies and benefits for the admin group and let the correctional people and others to clean the ...crap...Just saying
Bill - non whiner on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
What a bunch of whiners. City Employees get Pensions that are very fair compared to the lower 48 - yep you have to suffer a bit for 20 years - but then you can retire with more than twice what I will get from social security. I see City wastewater personnel cleaning out sump floats covered in feces etc... you know how they keep clean they wear disposable gloves - duh...in the prison make the inmates clean up their own mess - if not put a drain in the floor and get out the fire hose. Once crimes against humanity are broken - you are not treated humanely - period
WOOOOAAAAAA!!! on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
The city has been through this many times before and it comes out the same way every time. Nothing is going to change until you change the administration. Start at the top and trim the fat.
Lindy Batten on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
PS ...no janitors are allowed to go into the cell block so it will be the correction officer cleaning or the inmate themselves.
Lindy Batten on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
A Janitor does not deal with any inmates who could potentially harm you if they are going through drug with drawls or just plain frustrated. We are prepared and trained for situations but things can happen quickly and there will always be some risk.
dirty jobs on Tuesday, October 22 2013:
How much does the janitor make cleaning up those messes at the correctional center?
""When your job consist of exposures to feces, vomit, urine, transmittal diseases, angry and frustrated inmates on a daily basis - I would think my PAY for the job RISK should be right where it is if not more.""
Comes as no surprise on Monday, October 21 2013:
Is it really any surprise to anyone that this report comes forward just after voting in the same elected officials that will sit for another 2-3 years in Unalaska? Get a clue people. The City administration uses your tax dollars against you in the form of a study that will be used for the next several cycles of pay negotiations.
Are you kidding me? on Monday, October 21 2013:
Wanting to clarify:
The comparison should be only be made on the base rate of pay...PERIOD
The city should then come up with a reasonable compensation plan for the following
A-Cost of doing business in a rural area compared to all other states used in this comparison-
B-COLA-based of the CI (Consumer Index/Anchorage/Annuals)
C-Merit-Based off of job performance
Wow !!! on Monday, October 21 2013:
I am really interested to see and hear what happens? KUCB keep us informed
Are you kidding me? on Monday, October 21 2013:
Are you kidding me? I went on the city’s website, and read the comparative study FINAL 2013. First off, what good will it do now, to go through the report, with it is published as FINAL?
Here are some questions:
1) Are the base pay rates used in this report just that…BASE PAY? Meanings are those base pat rates solely compared to the “work performance” of the job? If the answer is yes, then why, as we go further in the report, does it say base pay includes merit/cost of living/general?
2) Why would the comparison even include, at any point, 1) merit, 2) cost of living, and 3) general unless those are also included in the base pay comparisons used in the report? And if they are, I would like to see the comparisons.
3) So here’s my understanding of what should be compared:
a. Base Pay-Based on job duties and requirements
b. Cost of doing business in a rural area compared to all other states used in this comparison-
c. COLA-based of the CI (Consumer Index/Anchorage/Annuals)
d. Merit-Based off of job performance
Can you tell me if the comparison were broken down this way? Because of not, the compensation comparison represents the BASE PAY incorrectly. It seems the numbers used in this report at times are on base pay rate and sometimes includes the base pay rate with 1) merit, 2) cost of living, and 3) general to as they see fit and skew the number and misrepresent the actual numbers to the city’s benefit.
4) So break this down; how much of this is goes to merit? How much goes to cost of living? How much goes to GENERAL, whatever that is?
5) What the heck is “General”
6) There has NEVER been a COLA given to employees….NEVER
7) Merits range from 0-3%, and based on the JOB PERFORMANCE. So if you perform poorly, you may get as little as 0% MERIT or as much as 3% merit increase. What happens to the COLA? The cost of living in Unalaska continues to go up…but the employee never is compensated for that. An employee’s job performance should have NOTHING to do with the increased cost of living. I say this because there have been some that did not receive a merit increase, and no one has received a COLA in over 10 years.
8) Does the compensation study include any of the following:
a. Cost of flights out of Unalaska?
b. Flight delays and difficulties securing flights in and out
c. Lack of medical care in Unalaska, requiring travel out for additional medical care?
d. Shipping charges/fees?
e. Basic rent for Unalaska?
f. Bonuses, for those who receive bonuses?
g. Free or discounted housing for those who receive it?
h. Free vehicles/gas/insurance/maintenance/vehicle payments for those who receive it?
i. Does it include all of the other perks that some receive and some who don’t but still have to endure the increase in the cost of living?
j. Does it include the travel benefits? Meaning when some are out for training, some can tack on to their vacation time and eliminate the cost of travel at least from Unalaska to Anchorage where others who don’t have the benefit still have to endure that cost?
9) I concur…If my job exposures me to feces, vomit, urine, transmittal diseases, angry and frustrated inmates on a daily basis - I would think for the job RISK should be right where it is if not more. Let’s see some do this job.
10) To have a recommendation of increasing the life insurance from $5000.00 to $50,000.00 is ridiculous. How many city employees will even be employed long enough with the city to even benefit from it? This is a recommendation that NO ONE can benefit from today as the cost of living increases? Really?
11) How about recommending the city start compensating for the cost of living? Gee I think families can benefit from that today.
12) Recommend this study happen every two years? Really? This should have been a given but never has. When it was done before. The numbers did not look so favorable that it was never presented to the employees
13) How about recommending something that will help employee TODAY!
Worst.Idea.Ever. on Monday, October 21 2013:
If I'm gonna get paid Lower 48 wages, might as well live in the Lower 48. Why would I want to get paid the same for slow internet, high shipping prices and terrible weather???? Makes no sense.
Charlene on Monday, October 21 2013:
I hope they give the lifeguards an increase so we can get the pool open some more days & hours.
Lindy Batten on Monday, October 21 2013:
When your job consist of exposures to feces, vomit, urine, transmittal diseases, angry and frustrated inmates on a daily basis - I would think my PAY for the job RISK should be right where it is if not more. If other Correctional Officers are not making as much as I am - than I believe they are way overdue for a raise!!!
What the Heck?? on Monday, October 21 2013:
What a joke. The city has been working on this for over 4 YEARS! Glad they could waste another $65K, hope they got the answer they were looking for this time around.