Brentwood Alderwoman Maureen Saunders sent an email to 40 South News Wednesday with a correction/further explanation on her comments at the board of aldermen meeting Monday where officials passed a compensation bill for city employees:
The sentence about meeting the 75th percentile overall is a bit misleading. Many of the positions are paid more than than the top market pay. The city used the 75th percentile spreadsheet but by placing positions at a higher pay grade the city is actually paying more than the top market pay.
For example, based on job descriptions, prepared by employees and managers, the positions were matched to the other cities. The fire captain, according to the market, would be at a grade 18 pay range. The top pay would be approximately $81,000. The city bumped the fire captain to a grade 22 pay range, which the top step is $100,000. Brentwood leads the market by paying fire captains approximately $85,000. We are now going to pay them $100,000.
The same jump in pay grades occurred with other positions which effectively causes the “75th percentile spreadsheet” to mimic being the market leader and in many instances overpaying individuals substantially higher than the top pay of the comparator cities.
There is never a reason to overpay employees. If we have extra money improve more streets and sidewalks or return the money to the taxpayers. There will be no increase in social security payments in 2016, and median income from 2000 to 2014 for non-elderly households is down 12.3 percent and yet the city is going to overpay employees.
In addition, if we are going to ignore market data then we should make sure we pay our police similar to the firemen. In today’s world, most residents would agree the police officers’ positions are much riskier. Every traffic stop there is the potential for a gun being pulled or the driver or perpetrator falsely accusing an officer.
I know traditionally police are paid less than firemen but the police are not permitted to form a union. We should recognize the increased risk in a police officer’s job and put pressure on the market to pay our officers similar to the firemen.
Doug, could you please investigate and report on Ald. Saunder’s statement that “the police are not permitted to form a union”? This seems odd, as we know that that are police unions out there, and to the best of my knowledge it is illegal for and employer to prevent employees from forming or joining a union.
Don – looking into this. Maplewood is just now considering a bill to establish a procedure for police to exercise collective bargaining rights and representation. I think it’s because they’re not allowed to unionize, or strike, or both.
I know they are not allowed to strike, but I couldn’t see them not being allowed to unionize.
I’m glad Brentwood has its own fire department, unlike most of the 90 incorporated municipalities in St. Louis County, and I’m glad our firefighters are capable, well trained, and well equipped. That being said, our firefighters do not deserve to be paid more than our police officers, nor do they deserve to be paid more than the firefighters of much-wealthier Clayton, Ladue, and Frontenac. Yes, the patricians who reside in those elegant mansions on the sprawling estates of Ladue pay their firefighters less than Brentwood’s struggling middle-class residents pay ours!
How did this happen? Why are Brentwood’s firefighters paid so much? We can thank Mayor-For-Too-Long Pat Kelly, who maintained a particularly cozy relationship with the BFD and who did everything he could to keep the firefighters happy in return for their key support every election year. Kelly gave them the big salaries and the swank new Fire Palace with his name conspicuously emblazed on the cornerstone as an eternal reminder of his largess. And it was Kelly who claimed to know nothing about the firefighters’ long-running illegal overtime practice.
With their high salaries, luxurious digs, and few fires to fight, members of the BFD have it made, and thanks to Monday’s action by the aldermen, some of them will soon be receiving big pay raises for no good reason, to be paid by struggling taxpayers whose incomes are not rising. Ald. Saunders is correct that in today’s Brentwood, policing has become more dangerous than firefighting, and we should be paying our police officers at least as much as our firefighters, if not more.
Another enduring and unfortunate legacy of Pat Kelly, compounded by some timid aldermen.