Reply With QuoteRegarding "longevity pay" for town employees...
This article from Gorja & Lee from 2008 worth reading again. Keeping this type of benefit in future contracts is unacceptable.
Lancaster longevity pay
Gorja wrote: Why in the world wasn't longevity pay taken away during contract negotiations?
If my figures are correct, they projected $172,000+ in longevity pay alone in 2009.
The town employees receive a decent salary, great healthcare benefits and step raises. Giving up the longevity pay would have been an indication that they feel our pain.
But I guess, it all starts at the top. The part time councilmen are willing to give up their raise but the ones that make the real money - supervisor and town clerk haven't made any indication that they are willing to set their raise aside. My perception of Giza's view of the tentative budget is-
THE BUDGET IS WHAT IT IS BECAUSE I'M THE BUDGET OFFICER AND I'M ALWAYS RIGHT.
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Lee writes:Picking up on the longevity pay entitlement fiasco only proves to me (again) how well informed you are gorja. It has been an issue for me for years and I have brought it up at several board meetings. The amount of money paid out by the town for recognizing someone's seniority, not ability, always rankled me. But as Supervisor Giza will tell you, “We’ve always done it that way.” It’s just another way of padding employee wages while picking taxpayer pockets.
They will also say, “It’s negotiated in the contracts, there is nothing they can do about it. You know, those contracts that the town approves, that are negotiated using a $233 per hour outside attorney. For those that don’t know what is paid out, a little reminder from a report I wrote last year at budget time:
Longevity Pay (2009)
All full time town employees receive longevity pay. The annual stipend is granted to recognize length of service and varies in value according to department. It is not included in wages as it would then go toward retirement benefit consideration.
White Collar Union (Salaried)
After 5 years service – 5 x $100 = $500
6 through 20 years - $500 + $50 added each year thereafter
21 through 30 years - $1,250 + $60 added each year thereafter
Blue Collar Union
After 5 years service - $800 thereafter
After 10 years service - $850 thereafter
After 20 years service - $1,150 thereafter
After 25 years service - $1,350 thereafter
Police Union
After 5 years service - $1,150
After 10 years service – $1,250
After 15 years service - $1,350
After 20 years service - $1,450
After 25 years service - $1,550
Other
No town employee, including elected officials, pays into the health/dental/eye insurance program. The town tries to low health care costs by increasing the size of the co-pays.
Besides shift differential and overtime pay, police get a $1,000 annual stipend in lieu of overtime should there be a call placed to the patrol car officer and he answers it while either driving the other officer to or from his home or the police station (Equalization Pay).
Police and blue collar employees receive a clothing allowance.
These perks were negotiated throughout the years and we are being told givebacks are near impossible.
Since 1997, town employees are not eligible for lifetime health insurance. The same is true for the police since 2000.
Town employees pay 3% of their salary into the NYS Retirement fund for the first ten years. Police pay nothing into the system – ever.
On average, the town pays 8% for Tier 3 & 4 town employees and somewhere around 16% for the police. This year’s New York State budget crisis will have no bearing on the estimated cost to the town for system payment.
