Employees of the City of Salisbury may receive another paid holiday this year on Dec. 26 if the City Council approves it at tonight’s meeting. Now before you call anyone who opposes this mean-spirited, consider that the administration has often indicated that the City staff can’t handle the its workload – for example:
The audit once again is late despite the fact that the City is paying for extra bookkeeping/accounting services in the Finance Department.
At tonight’s meeting the Council will also consider a policy to outsource development plan reviews because the Public Works Department can’t handle them expeditiously.
Few non-governmental employees in Salisbury have the salary-benefit package that the City provides for its personnel, nor the job security in these uncertain times.
How much overtime pay will be incurred if December 26 is declared to be a holiday for City employees is unknown.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
32 comments:
Before too many citizens complain about this one, keep in mind that the day after Christmas is the Slowest day of the year for government offices and pretty much any business that is not retail. So we going to have to pay them to do the same thing anyway-if city workers come to work that day they most likely won't have work to do so you might as well give them the holiday....
the most local government workers are not eligible for overtime
Thanks For Those Stats and information Barrie.
And folks complain about the autoworkers!
DOWNSIZE THE GOVMINT WORKERS! This day off stuff does noting for the poor souls, the poor taxpayers and business owners, that pay their salaries. Cut government employment to the essential workers. Period.
Then lower taxes to where they should be.
Nearly all of the government budgets are based on bubble-era numbers. Folks, we ain't in bubble land anymore!
Scrooges! Give them December 26 off--everyone should be with their families and friends on this day, anyway, not going down to government offices. And no, I do not work for the City of Salisbury!
anonymous 9:02,
There's about a 99.9% chance YOU are a City Employee. Put your name up here if you're not.
I have worked on the day after Christmas many times because the phones don't ring and rarely are there any interruptions. Maybe they can take that day to get caught up a little. The reason the plan reviews take so long is they have so damn many meetings because they won't (or can't) make any decisions on their own.
My company is also giving everyone off the 26th. It is a Friday and would cost more to have every one come in for the one day then it would to give everyone the day off.
Why is it that everytime someone diagrees with you, you think they are city employee!
The 26th is on a Friday, Almost every Company I know is closing on the 26th and giving their people off, I for one do not work for the city. I do not know any one nor am I related to anyone to be able to get a job in that good ole boy administration!
8:41
It may be a slower day than most, but there's a backlog from the normal days because the City can't handle its workload. Thus, they should use the 26th to catch up.
I have to work on Christnmas day. It's Christmas, let them make it a 4 day weekend because we have a lot of work to do this coming year!
How about an unpaid holiday? A furlough like the State is considering? Give the taxpayers a gift and save us some money. I'm sure the employees would still like the day off even if they don't get paid.
Wow! What is it really going to hurt if the city employees get a paid day off. That money is already in the budget and it's not like they can fix all the problems going on there in one day anyway. Lighten up and quit being so petty about everything. I feel a bit bad for those of you have nothing to do or nothing in your lives but to harp on every imperfection you see. Do you not get any joy out of anything besides complaning and griping?
City employees are already severely underpaid. What is the problem with giving them a day off to be with their families? Some of you act like they are second rate citizens and don't deserve it. A good number of the city employees work their asses off daily just because it is their work value. Just because you guys don't agree with the administration doesn't mean the employees are bad too. They are just caught in the middle of the adminstration and the public.
Hey Joe just so you are aware, the County is considering the exact same of making the 26th a Holiday.
Dont forget to turn the thermostats down before you leave on thursday.
I don't have a problem with the City taking the 26th off, I wish
the citizens in our country celebrated Christmas as do Latin
American and European countries do.
Its sad that so many people have to work Christmas daylrt alone the day after Christmas.
Christmas doesn't mean exchanging gifts and needing the additional time to travel out of state to see family. To me, that should happen on personal time and it's more enjoyable when it is.
Some speak of what's done in other Countries. Look, not everyone is Christian that works for the City. I'm not trying to be a Humbug here but the facts remain, if the Accounting Department could go into the Office for an entire day without the phone ringing off the hook, perhaps they could actually get something done.
MOST American's are not spending all their time off going to Church and respecting the true meaning of Christmas. You can do that on Thursday or even Wednesday night. Then do your American Style gift giving the day of and go back to work the following day. We're in a RECESSION/DEPRESSION Folks. We're also at War. Do you people ever get it, or are you just so spoiled rotten that you want to stay angry at me for delivering the message of TRUTH?
Pam Oland should come in and get that budget in order.
Being under paid? ....Be glad you have a job..alot of people would be happy to work on the 26th or any other day...count your blessings.
so what now your jesus. "DELIVERING THE MESSAGE OF TRUTH" are you serious. It's not truth per se, it's your opinion.
10:42
That is perfectly okay with Joe, just not the city employees.
Joe come on man give them a break. You are angry because you wont get to see barrie that day or the Bald Blunder. I think the underlings have taken an ass whippin for years what is another day off to those who endure what goes on down there. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Happy Kwnza, Falease Navida, hope i didnt leave anyone out did not what to offend anyone. Sorry about the spelling. Oh yea while I am at it I finanly figured out what is up with John Cannon. This is all a test. I saw who he was in a picture last week at Wall Mart. He was the third elf from the right in that picture of santa and elfs in a sled. I knew there was something about that guy. He just didnt have on his pointy shoes when he ran for office.
Our company is closing on the 26th because it does not make sense to give everyone off 1/2 day Christmas Eve and all day Christmas day and then bring them back for one day before the weekend.
We KNOW not much will get done so they might as well all stay home.
Everyone is on salary, so it doesn't cost us extra to close but it saves because all of the equipment and utilities are not being utilized.
We will probably do the same thing for New Years.
The Friday issue is the difference.
Joe
Our company closes every year the day after Thanksgiving because of the "Friday issue" and will do so this year for Christmas & New Years because of the "Friday Issue". It is not a paid holiday. Instead, we elect to work a Saturday before hand to get paid for the Friday we take off. BTW if we don't work the Saturday to make up for the Friday then we don't get paid for it. If we don't have enough people that want to work it the boss won't let just a couple come in and we all take off without pay. That only happened once though.
RH
10:11-
Please stop spouting this BS:
"City employees are already severely underpaid."
They have a better salary-benefit deal than most of us in Wicomico County, with very little risk of the employer going belly-up.
If, when leaving on Christmas Eve, every one of the employee offices were to turn down the thermostat (just to say... 60 degrees), turned off their computers, turned off the lights, and various other power saving "tricks", then the cost of limited power for the extra two and a half days (Xmas Eve, Xmas, the day after) would offset some of the cost. If not, then all of the heat will have to remain on in the buildings so that they are habitable on Friday the 26th.
What do ya think?
Joe,
Anon 9:02 here,
Maybe I should play the lottery today, because despite the 99.9% odds you gave that I was a city employee, I am not. Want to know how you can tell? All the words are spelled correctly.
I still say they should get December 26 off, and I agree with the previous commenter who said they should turn all the utilities way down and take the long weekend.
They should have thought about this last year. They get enough paid holidays as it is. Some companies close down from Christmas to New Years but the employees KNOW they need to save their vacation for those days or they dont get paid. I say if they want the 26th off they either use vacation or dont get paid.
It is good management to close afternoon Christmas eve, Christmas day, day after Christmas day and Saturday and Sunday. Consider all of the savings in electricity and heat. Of course, Joe does not believe in my theories, so this comment will not get posted like the rest of them. Anyway, Joe sees them and I am satisfied. NOT A CITY EMPLOYEE, JUST A PREVIOUS WELL RUN GOVERNMENT. MERRY CHRISTMAS, JOE; DO YOU BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS?
I am a city employee and what most people dont know is when we work overtime, its not time and a half its straight time. we dont get real overtime like most the real world. so excuse me if someone is trying to be nice.
I am a city employee and I feel lucky to have a job right now. Please keep in mind while you are berating city employees, our job is thankless. The mayor, city council and residents act like they hate us.When economic times were good, the mayor felt that she could not afford to even try to fit a decent cost of living raise in her proposed budgets. Now that times are bad, we are struggling with no hope of a raise.For those who think our pay is so generous and begrudge us for having a job, please feel free to apply for a city job, there are several openings.
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