Just as the mayor warned of “massive” layoffs if workers don’t give up benefits, City Hall filled four positions and has posted seven more.
The city hired four employees this month, according to personnel reports: a part-time school safety guard at 10 hours per week for $11.13 per hour; a full-time librarian at $61,419 per year; a full-time bilingual processing clerk in vital statistics at $35,351 per year; and a full-time 911 Operator at $39,173 per year. All four are general fund positions, not paid for by special grants.
The new hires come on the heels of a Jan. 3 budget address in which Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. called for painful budget cuts and benefits changes in order to avoid “hundreds” of layoffs.
Larry Dorman, spokesman for AFSCME Council 4, said DeStefano is sending a “mixed message” with the new hires.
“On the one hand, the mayor has gone on record as saying he is prepared to engage in mass layoffs and service cuts. And on the other hand, the city is hiring people,” Dorman said.
In addition to the new hires, the city has kept on four employees who passed their 90-day probationary period, according to the two recent personnel reports. Click here and here for those reports.
Reached at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, DeStefano acknowledged the union critique.
“I agree with the concern,” he said. He said he discussed Monday with his top coordinators coordinators “that, you know, there’s a real possibility of layoffs. And the unfairness of having people leave their jobs to come work for the city with that potential is real. So I in fact shared the concern and conveyed it to directors today when I saw what they had done for hiring. I believe a fair number of those are special fund, which doesn’t mean you can’t be bumped, but I think that is a legitimate concern.”
Meanwhile, the following jobs were posted on the city’s web site on Jan. 10, with a posting period ending Jan. 24:
Librarian I, minimum salary $38,169
Supervising Librarian, minimum salary $50,594
Library Technical Assistant, minimum salary $40,642
Project Manager, Livable City Initiative, Economic Development, minimum salary $46,123
Maternal & Child Health Outreach Worker, minimum salary $35,351
Legal Executive Secretary in Economic Development, minimum salary $41,844
Youth @ Work Manger, minimum salary $41,844
The last four job postings come with a warning: “Continued employment contingent upon availability of future funding,” which is standard language indicating that the jobs are paid for by special funds from grants instead of general taxpayer dollars.
DeStefano said there is no hiring freeze: “I have not forbad the directors from hiring anybody,” he said.
He urged caution in adding to city payroll.
“I think the city has to be extremely cautious about hiring anyone at this point,” DeStefano said. “I’ve asked directors to do so. But I think the unions raise a legitimate concern.”
Dorman said instead of hiring more staff and asking workers to give up benefits, the mayor should sit down with unions and “share ideas for saving money and protecting services.”