DO THEY DESERVE MORE THAN THE 2 PERCENT PAY RAISE BEING OFFERED?
Public workers in contract talks with the City of Houston have received a videotaped message of support from presidential candidate John Edwards. The video can be seen at: www.HoustonWeHaveAProblem.com
“A first-class city like Houston shouldn’t have second-class wages for their workers,” said Edwards in a message filmed shortly before Thanksgiving. “Public sector workers in Houston are earning 21 percent less than public sector workers in other Texas cities and other cities across the United States.”
Edwards, a top-tier contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made poverty a central focus of his campaign, and he noted that 1,000 Houston city workers make less than the poverty level for a family of four, which is $9.83 an hour.
The Houston Organization of Public Employees (HOPE), which represents the city’s 13,000 municipal workers, has asked the city to lift every worker above the poverty level by paying a wage of at least $10 an hour. So far, city officials have refused to do so.
HOPE has been in contract talks with the City of Houston since April. But city officials are still offering an annual across-the-board raise of only 2 percent over four years.
HOPE, the Houston Organization of Public Employees, represents the city’s 13,000 public service workers. HOPE is a joint local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), America’s fastest growing union, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the nation’s largest public service union.
3 comments:
There really nothing that Edwards can do about this issue but help to high light it. According a mailing I received from the city. City workers should be thankful because an average worker who make $31,000 is paid really $51,000 when you factor in benefits. Wow!! but you have consider the health plan if you have a family cost $2,000 a year blue cross HMO. oh and then teh mandate you contribute 5% of your salary to a pension fund you have no say in opting out of. then if you factor in they "give" 40 hours of vacation a year 8 holidays off a year.
On top of that Mayors Whites pay for performance plan make employees meet several benchmarks to get the max increase which is 5%.
Oh and employees not meeting certain benchmarks can actually have their pay DECREASED. But Bill said that hey 1% raises is better than the alternative which is outsourcing many more jobs.
Can anyone say, "pandering for the vote"?
If you dropped out of school in the 4th grade, have a criminal record, and can barely speak an intelligle language, why do you complain about making $10/hour?
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