OGDENSBURG IS CLOSING THE SIGNFICANT EMPLOYEE PAY DISPARITY AFTER MANY YEARS OF INEQUITY
By unanimous vote, the Ogdensburg City Council agreed to begin closing the serious pay disparity gap that has existed for many years between employee work groups. In some cases, the difference in pay in as much as 44% with those same lowered pay employees contributed as much as 14% more for healthcare – a true injustice and lack of concern by previous administrations. The attached chart and certified resolution illustrate the pay and healthcare contribution differences that have been allowed to persist for many years as previous City Councils negotiated multiple bargaining unit agreements with significantly different terms, with most recent negotiated in the final days of 2019 after staggering election defeat of the majority of the outgoing City Council. Please click here to view the chart and click here to view the certified resolution confirming approval by City Council.
Quote from Mayor Skelly- The days of leaving many of the hardest working employees lagging behind in pay and paying more for healthcare ceases today and while it will take several years to close the unfair differences in pay and healthcare contributions, I will push for additional gap closing measures in the 2023 and 2024 budgets. Previous City Councilors, including the current members of the minority council, failed to address this injustice to some of the city’s most valued employees; let no City Council ever fail in this regard again.
In the near future the City Manager will present findings and recommendations to City Council that will begin the process of equalizing the amount that all employees pay for healthcare. The attached chart illustrates the significant difference in employee contributions toward healthcare with those employees making the least in salary paying the greatest employee share of premiums.