Non-union workers to see raises based on performance
By Andrea Gregory

City workers are anticipating hefty pay raises, following a six-year hiatus from any pay increase. Altogether the city planned to spend $579,909 to bump up the wages of non-union municipal employees. However, on Tuesday Nov. 21, the Board of Aldermen was expected to receive a new figure about 7 percent less than the first proposal brought to the aldermen after The Somerville News presstime.

   ‚ÄúWe‚Äôve shaved off $41,754. We‚Äôve brought this down by that amount,‚Äù said Edward Bean, finance director, at the Nov. 16 Finance Committee meeting.
The raises will be retroactive from July 1 or the date of hire for newer employees, said Bean.
   Thomas Champion, spokesman for the city, said Somerville is going to be spending less than it originally anticipated on non-union raises. He said Bean‚Äôs number was an estimate, but the deduction should be in the same neighborhood. The actual amount was not available before presstime.
   Last week, the Finance Committee discussed the pay increases and reviewed a document called ‚ÄúWage Class Study Implementation Process.‚Äù  The study explained three types of pay increases workers may be eligible for. The position Wage Adjustment will raise a workers salary as much as $5,000 if he is deemed to be making less than the minimum comparison for the position. The city compared the wages and responsibilities of its staff to those of nine other communities to set fair pay ranges.
   The longevity raise would entitle worker who have put in several years to receive $500 per year since 2001 with a $3,000 cap.
   The merit increase is based on individual performance. Evaluations were conducted a few weeks ago to determine how much more each worker should be making. Employees are expected to see as much as a 10 percent annual increase based on how well they do their job. During individual evaluations workers were graded on customer orientation, teamwork, entrepreneurial spirit and practicing discipline.
   Non-union workers will not all be receiving high enough raises to put them in the ranges that were established by the Municipal Compensation Advisory Board, but it is a start, say officials. Following the city‚Äôs method for pay increase, workers are looking at a 10 percent increase at best on top of a possible $8,000 depending on the established range the job should be paying and the amount of years they have put in for the city.
   ‚ÄúWe are trying to bring people to where they need to be. It is a good move because it adds a better level of accountability,‚Äù said Maryann M. Heuston, Ward 2 alderman and committee member. ‚ÄúI think we are moving toward (a system where) every year you can plan for this, you can budget.‚Äù
   According to Champion, the city budget slated $3.4 million to cover all salary adjustments for both union and non-union workers when it complied the budget for the current fiscal year. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, aldermen were expected to vote to transfer money from the contingency fund to individual department accounts so the pay adjustments could be activated. Last fiscal year, $2.1 million had been earmarked for raises for all employees.
  Heuston said pay raises for non-union sector tends to become a back burner issue that the city in now trying to correct. Adding a review process is going to help, she added. Also there were never job descriptions for several city employee titles, and the positions that did have description were ‚Äúancient,‚Äù said Heuston.
  She said she knows there is never a good time to shell out a large sum of money for raises. However, waiting a few years could mean the city would face the problem of coming up with even more funds to help bring people to fair pay levels, Heuston said.