STAFF PAY RAISES:  15% OVER 4 YEARS

North County Times, Encinitas employees get 3.5 % raises.

The City Council on Wednesday approved 3.5 % salary increases and improved retirement benefits for Encinitas and San Dieguito Water District employees for the next four years.

The vote was 4-0.  Councilman Dalager was absent.

The pay and benefit increases are retroactive to Jan. 1 and are expected to cost nearly $753,000 through the duration of the contract.

The city’s personnel officer, Tom Beckord, told the council that a four year contract spares the city from consultant fees and staff time needed to negotiate labor agreements.   Some activists, however, said the city should rethink a four year agreement because of the housing slump, unemployment and other economic uncertainties.

We do know that, generally, public sector employees now have salary and benefits that exceed the private sector(1).  In hard times it will be tough for the unions to bargain for raises exceeding salary increases found in the private sector.  The union probably knows this and they wisely “negotiated” a contract that will get their members through the rough economic spot unscathed.  That is probably why there were audible, but restrained, cheers from staff when the council gave them 4 years of unconditional raises.  It should be sobering to the taxpayer that staff actually cheered the council’s decision.

Kevin Cummins, President, Encinitas Taxpayers Association

1.  see www.encinitastaxpayers.org/blog for a link to a private vs. public compensation analysis.