Friday, August 13, 1999
Y2K plan angers city workers
Project would hold back 1 week's pay
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — While trying to stave off the Y2K bug, city officials have made some employees as angry as fire ants.
The city plans to begin using new software to generate employees' pay checks this fall — and just about everyone agrees the software is needed to prevent potential Year 2000 computer problems, comply with tax withholding and increase payroll efficiency.
However, the new plan requires one week's pay to be held back for the city's salaried employees. As a result, about 500 of the city's 750 workers, who are generally paid every two weeks, will have to wait three weeks for their first October pay check — and they'll receive 25 pay checks for the year, not 26 as previously expected.
“I think police and fire will sue if we implement this plan — and I'm hoping they do because I think this is a violation of their contract,” said Vice Mayor Adolf Olivas. “If their contract says they should receive "X' amount of dollars this year and they don't, that's a violation.”
Some city officials, however, disagree, saying that the contract is not being violated and no one will be cheated out of any money. The week's pay that was held back will be paid after workers leave the city's employ, officials said.
However, Firefighter Bill Quinn said he felt the effects for some workers could be far-reaching.
Firefighters' annual salary is $41,193, but under the proposal, they would be paid $1,584.36 less than that, he said. The resulting decrease in annual salary could affect some firefighters' pensions, he said, because pensions are calculated based on an employees' three highest years of salary.
Sam Hopkins, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 38, did not return a telephone call seeking comment Thursday.
However, several police officers have contacted Mr. Olivas and other city officials to voice their concerns about the new payroll system, officials said.
Mayor Tom Nye said he can understand why people feel sensitive about the issue. “Any time you goof with somebody's pay check, they're going to get a little rankled,” he said. “Any time there are policy changes, there are going to be people who don't like that.”
Still, he pointed out that hourly employees have been paid on a one-week-held-back basis “since forever,” and he doesn't find the new system inherently unfair.
Mr. Olivas does.
He likened it to “changing rules in the middle of the game” — and Mr. Olivas, who is a lawyer by profession said, “In principle and in law, you can't do that.”
Further, Mr. Olivas said he is concerned about how the situation could affect employees' morale and esprit de corps.
The issue, after being vigorously discussed at Wednesday's city council meeting, remained unresolved Thursday.
“Everyone has just retreated to their bunkers and the city manager said he's working hard to come up with a plan that will satisfy everyone,” Mr. Olivas said.
City Manager Steve Sorrell said he has been meeting with union leaders to try to smooth the transition — and that employees' representatives have been involved with discussing the new system during the past two years. The method for implementing the system has not been finalized, he said, and technical issues are expected to be resolved next week.
Several options that could help blunt the impact of the held-back pay are being considered, said Dorethea Yates, the city's comptroller. Among them: a low-cost loan from the employees' credit union; allowing employees to sell back a week's vacation; giving employees longevity pay earlier than usual; and giving an advance paycheck.
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