GC Officials, Road Workers Agree: No Increase In Pay Check Next Year
Apr. 8, 2010
Garrett County Roads Department crews will not see an increase in their pay checks in the new fiscal year. Local members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) were to receive a four percent raise in FY 2011, but, by a majority vote, they agreed to defer that until next year.
“This is pretty monumental,” county administrator Monty Pagenhardt said about the group’s willingness to forgo a raise for the sake of the county’s budget. “Because of what we wanted to work toward – continuing the excellent public service that we have – we needed to direct funds that would go toward increases that directly affect that purpose.”
The county and union members are in the third year of a five-year agreement. But because of economic conditions locally, statewide, and nationwide, the county began renegotiating that agreement about four months ago in preparation for its new budget year, which begins on July 1.
Pagenhardt said he went to AFSCME business representative Jim Bestpitch and explained the county’s financial dilemma.
“We’ve got a serious thing here,” Pagenhardt told him late last year, noting that the county would not be able to give pay raises to non-union employees or provide budget increases to county departments, Garrett College, the Board of Education, and other entities that receive local funding.
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