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I am sensitive to the budget issues city and state employess face. However, the Russell Allen raise, while a PR blunder, is a red herring tactic that will not win public support for raises for other city employees. Most likely it will just result in him giving back his own raise. I must say I am a little shocked that so many people don't see the reality of the situation and are upset with the prospect of only 4% merit raises. I think Mayor Meeker said is best.
During a down economy, Mayor Charles Meeker said Raleigh employees are lucky things aren't worse.
"Raleigh is fortunate we are talking about some increases as opposed to laying people off,” Meeker said.
I am sensitive to the budget issues city and state employess face. However, the Russell Allen raise, while a PR blunder, is a red herring tactic that will not win public support for raises for other city employees. Most likely it will just result in him giving back his own raise. I must say I am a little shocked that so many people don't see the reality of the situation and are upset with the prospect of only 4% merit raises. I think Mayor Meeker said is best.
During a down economy, Mayor Charles Meeker said Raleigh employees are lucky things aren't worse.
"Raleigh is fortunate we are talking about some increases as opposed to laying people off,” Meeker said.
I don't get it. So is Russell Allen's raise okay, and others are supposed to feel lucky that things aren't worse? I heard there are no other increases in pay for, say, police officers in Raleigh, but the city manager has received a pay increase. Where are the increases Mr. Meeker is speaking of, I wonder. I'm just asking because I don't know.
"Raleigh is fortunate we are talking about some increases as opposed to laying people off,” Meeker said.
I don't get it. So is Russell Allen's raise okay, and others are supposed to feel lucky that things aren't worse? I heard there are no other increases in pay for, say, police officers in Raleigh, but the city manager has received a pay increase. Where are the increases Mr. Meeker is speaking of, I wonder. I'm just asking because I don't know.
"Raleigh is fortunate we are talking about some increases as opposed to laying people off,” Meeker said.
best,
toodie
There is still the potential for modest pay increases for city employees. As stated in the article:
"The budget proposal caps the annual merit raise at 4 percent for employees that have been on the job for five years or less. For employees with six years of service or more, they could be eligible for a smaller merit raise, or no raise at all. The proposal also raises health insurance premiums for city employees."
Meeker was simply pointing out that city employees are fortunate that in light of the decreased budget, city employees are fortuante that there is still opportunity for some pay increase instead of laying people off.
Again, the Russell Allen raise was a mistake on their part and I wouldn't be surprised if they reverse their decision on that. Either way that doesn't mean there is enough money in the budget for what all the city employees want.
As it has been stated here, the City Manager getting a raise while the staff that works for him doesn't one is a bad message to send. Plus, it creates a Us vs. Them mentality. Not very politically savvy to the least.
No surprise to me. This is what our government leaders do. Call for others to make sacrifice while they live it up. Look at the executive branch saying we all must sacrifice and that company execs need to stop flying so much, yet at the same time they fly 3 expensive panes, media, friends and security around the country for their date nights. Nothing surprises me anymore.
No surprise to me. This is what our government leaders do. Call for others to make sacrifice while they live it up. Look at the executive branch saying we all must sacrifice and that company execs need to stop flying so much, yet at the same time they fly 3 expensive panes, media, friends and security around the country for their date nights. Nothing surprises me anymore.
I can see how Allen's raise would not sit well with employees facing small or no raises, and agree that it was a political blunder. However, in the corporate world the disparity is much greater and the reality is, almost everyone is cutting back. My husband works for a large corporation whose CEO makes millions while all of the exempt employees have had increase freezes for two years and now 2 separate 5% pay cuts, while working much harder to "make their numbers". Times are tough all over.
Government jobs are the cushiest jobs out there. Where I used to live public employees were getting 10%-15% raises ever year so that the cities wouldn't have excess money at the end of the year because property taxes were raising so fast.
You know our Government is really screwed up when they try and spend the most amount of money they can.
No surprise to me. This is what our government leaders do. Call for others to make sacrifice while they live it up. Look at the executive branch saying we all must sacrifice and that company execs need to stop flying so much, yet at the same time they fly 3 expensive panes, media, friends and security around the country for their date nights. Nothing surprises me anymore.
I really don't know who you are referring to since we are discussing local politics, not national ones.
That being said, the position of Mayor of Raleigh is a part-time job.
Aside from this, I think some state employees will have a hard time with the furlough and the 0.5% pay cut. All of it is being taken out of the next two paychecks instead of slowly over the year. UNC healthcare employees get paid twice a month...so all the money will be taken out over one month instead of two. If you an your spouse work for the state that's around $500 average being taken from the two paychecks combined in one month. Some higher and some lower depending on the salary. If someone lives paycheck to paycheck that's bad news. Luckily we don't do that, but some might depending on their situation. I think some people thought it would be taken over the course of 12 months.
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