HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979 01-04 Blank recommends six percent raise DISPATCH Blank recommends
six percent raise
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By SCOTT CARLSON Ma PIQw®O�
Staff Writer
Eric Blank says Maplewood's CityCouncils.
non-union administrative em-
ployees shouldn't wait for their "If the new manager wants to
1979 pay raises until the City implement his own plan,we
Council selects a new manager. could be waiting until the end of
"The staff doesn't know where the year,"Blank said.
the Council is in terms of hiring The Council's search for a
a new manager,"acting mana- manager suffered a setback
ger Blank responded recently to when its top candidate,Carlton
Councilman Roger Fontaine's Laird,took an overseas job with
4suggestion."This means the de- the World Bank.The Council is
lay for the non-union employees in the process of interviewing
r) could be mid-year or more. other candidates.
"IT SEEMS TO put non-union HOWEVER,Mayor John
employees at a disadvantage," Greavu contended that automat-
Blank continued. He said that is six percent raises shouldn't be
four union contracts with city given. "We can't arbitrarily keep
employee groups have already giving raises because someone
been settled. else gives them,"he said. "You
The Council is expected to de- have to have some kind of merit
cide at 7:30 p.m. today whether to pay."
to further delay the raises or Noted Fontaine: "If everyone
adopt Blank's six percent across- goes along with this straight deal
the-board recommendation for there will be a lot of Cleveland
the 14 non-union employees.His cities around. I'm looking down
recommendation,Blank said,in- the line another three to five
eludes a cost of living index ad- years. Hell,everybody on the
justment not to exceed one per- staff will be making$40,000 to
cent so that the raises would stay $50,000."
within President Jimmy Carter's "I think that is a generaliza-
suggested guidelines. tion that is getting out of hand,"
"If you're waiting for the new responded Blank. "You have to
city manager t0 come in and look at the entire city organiza-
make some kind of magical deci- tion."
sion,I.think you'd be putting him He later contended: "We've
in an unfair position,"Blank told settled three or four unions and
the Council. He added that now we come to one special
Maplewood's current pay plan group and all of a sudden you say
has been used by the past three six percent is unfair."