FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Contact: Tyler Lowry, Commissioners, 614/525-6630 Marty Homan, Commissioners, 614/525-5273
The Franklin County Commissioners voted this morning to
implement a series of wage adjustments that could result in pay raises for up
to about 750 county employees, including ensuring that all current and future commissioner
employees will be paid a living wage.
The commissioners have long been committed to seeing that all residents
of Franklin County are paid a living wage for the work that they do, and a year
ago commissioned a study to determine what that hourly wage is in Franklin
County, and how the Board can implement a living wage for all of its employees. The resolution passed today will increase the
amount of the lowest salary paid to non-bargaining commissioner employees to
$13.69 per hour. It also allows the
county to renegotiate union contracts so that the changes to apply to
bargaining unit employees as well.
The study, conducted by Clemans Nelson & Associates, a
nationally respected management and labor relations consulting firm, used
resources developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to determine
that the living wage in Franklin County is $13.69 per hour. “Living wage” is defined as a wage that
allows a family of four, including two working adults, to maintain a normal
standard of living within the community in which they work. The Clemans Nelson study also addressed the
problem of “wage compression” within the commissioners’ county agencies, which
occurs when the minimum rate in one pay grade is too close to the minimum of
the next higher grade. As a result, not
only will the lowest-paid Board of Commissioners employees be seeing an increase,
but the minimum rate in every pay grade will be increasing and employees who
have been in their current positions for at least 3 years will also be seeing a
raise.
“Franklin County is the main local provider of social services
in Central Ohio,” said Board of Commissioners President, John O’Grady. “The employees providing those services
shouldn’t also have to receive them in order to provide for their families. Everyone who puts in an honest day’s work
deserves an honest day’s pay, and we’re going to start with that right here in
the commissioners’ office.”
Many of the affected employees are covered by labor agreements
between their unions and the county, which will have to be amended for the new
pay rates to take effect. A provision in
the resolution passed by the commissioners today authorizes county Human
Resources to renegotiate the labor agreements immediately so that bargaining
unit employees can take advantage of the new pay scale even before the
contracts would normally have been renegotiated next year.
“We have the best employees anywhere,” said Commissioner Paula
Brooks. “They work hard and, like every
American, deserve to be paid fairly for their labor. I’m glad that we’re able to do this for our
own staff, and will continue to work to see that all hard-working residents of
Franklin County are able to earn a living wage.”
The plan also includes a new system of determining raises for
non-bargaining employees based on merit and performance. All together, the new wage scale system is
expected to cost the county about an additional $1.6 million per year.
“I’m proud of all that we have been able to do to take care of
our great staff here at the county commissioners’ office,” said Commissioner
Marilyn Brown. “From our excellent benefits
package to our early adoption of benefits for domestic partners, our healthy
workforce initiatives, and now a living wage, we really are taking care of our
people, but it’s also about attracting and retaining the best and brightest
employees at every position.”
Franklin County employs about 6,500 people, and the county
commissioners employ about 1,300. The new wage scales and merit raises will
take effect on July 1st for non-bargaining employees, and as soon
after that for bargaining unit staff as the employee unions are able to ratify
new contracts.
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