THE bill that seeks to increase the Government of Guams funding by $5.5 million to implement an across the board wage hike failed to please public sector employees and instead sowed division among agencies and departments on the issue.
Hundreds showed up at the Legislature yesterday when senators held a public hearing for the administration-led Bill 469, which essentially seeks to appropriate the $5.5 million on top of the $13.1 million The Hay Study Group recommended for government-wide salary upgrades.
The Guam Fire Department, Guam Police Department, John F. Kennedy High School, Guam Power Authority, and government employees from local union Guam Federation of Teachers are opposed to the bill.
They said the bill and the Hay Study failed to recognize experienced employees and only seems to benefit the newly hired in the classification of position.
Acting Police Chief Maj. Rick Leon Guerrero pointed out a flaw in the bill that proposes to repeal a law that mandates an annual 10 percent wage hike for law enforcement personnel that is supposed to continue until Fiscal Year 2012.
He questioned lawmakers to consider having the remaining 20 percent wage hike be granted for FYs 2011 and FY 2012 instead of adopting the Hay Studys wage adjustment recommendations.
GFD Fire Captain Reuben Olivas argued the Hay Study proposal brings GovGuam salaries to 15 percent below the general market level upon thorough analysis.
Olivas said he would only receive a 25-cent increase per hour if the Hay Study proposal is followed.
The Judicial Branch, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and I Famaguon-ta, but, are in favor of the bill.
They believe the Hay Study would provide relief to thousands of workers who have nervously awaited pay adjustments œreasonably close to market level.
Although representatives from the Civil Service Commission and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency supported the bill, they cautioned that parts of it should be amended.
Not this Friday
Department of Administration Director Lou Perez warned GovGuam employees will not see increases in salaries until next Friday and will be retroactive to Oct. 1 even though the Camacho administration already sanctioned the pay increase.
Also at the hearing was Hay Group representative Neville Kenning, who is from the consulting firms Irvine, California office.
Kenning conducted an hour-long presentation on how the Hay Study was carried out and the basis for their recommendations.
Eleven of the 15 senators showed up for the hearing. Governor-elect Sen. Eddie Calvo and Lt. Governor-elect Sen. Ray Tenorio, who are on island, did not make it though.
Several representatives provided written testimonies from various GovGuam departments.
JFK teachers Colette Beausoliel and Sanjay Sharma and Principal Kenneth Chargualaf shared similar sentiments against the bill in that the Hay Study does not recognize experience and seniority.
œI perceive on Guam a new concrete ceiling that caps the salaries of career teachers. And it places this hard, inflexible cap on professionals who are still in their forties"by no means the end of their effectiveness or value, Beausoliel said.
For his part, GFT President Matt Rector said GovGuam should come up with its own plot to bring up-to-date its employees salaries honestly instead of œwasting millions of dollars on hiring consulting firms to do the job that GovGuam employees are qualified to do.
œThe whole fallacy that we dont have enough money on Guam is insane. Theres plenty of money on Guam. Were the most under-taxed place in the nationyou might save a small bit of money by not paying GovGuam employees but you end up having to pay contractors to do the work that our people should be doing anyway, Rector said.
Article source: http://mvguam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15248:wage-hike-bill-divides-govguam&catid=1:guam-local-news&Itemid=61
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