June 3, 2009 - From RPFFA President Keith Wilder:

Thank you for supporting your local by attending the June 2nd public budget hearing.  I know we made an impressive showing and I am confident the council will research the budget thoroughly, to look for a means to continue providing our range adjustment.  I am optimistic they can find a fraction of 1%, of a 700 million dollar budget.   

My greatest concern about all of this is how it has been reported by a majority of the media outlets and the public perception of those reports.  Rick Armstrong, president of the Raleigh Police Protective Association and I are continuously trying to set the record straight.  First, we are NOT "outraged" that Mr. Allen received a raise and that he is the highest paid city manager in North Carolina.  That is a trend we would like to follow.  So be it if it has to start with upper management.  By one reporter's own admission, the hottest stories are the ones that have the most controversy... unfortunately.  Also, despite our efforts, most media outlets continue to report that merit pay will cap at 4%.  That is a true statement, but as we all know it is only for employees who have 5 years or less on the job and they are a small portion of our workforce.  So, while true, it is a very misleading statement.  There has been no mention of employees who fall into quartiles #2 - #4 that are eligible for much smaller merit raises and there has been very little mention of those employees who are no longer eligible for a meritorious pay increase.  The real problem here is when most city employees don't even understand their own merit pay system, known as the "quartile system" how can we expect the public to comprehend it in a 30 second sound bite?   

The manager and council have a tough job.  We should respect the position they are in and give them benefit of doubt that they are trying to do what is best for all.  Thankfully though, we have the freedom to take our concerns to city hall and for that I am most grateful.   

Keep an eye on this website.  More updates will follow throughout the month of June. 

For those who missed it, here is my speech at last night's public budget hearing. Thank you for your support and let's remain optimistic. 

Mr. Mayor, members of the council, my name is Keith Wilder and I am president of the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #548, of the International Association of Fire Fighters.  I am here to represent over 300 members of my Local and I support the previous comments by Rick Armstrong. 

In my nearly 23 years on the job, Raleigh has seen significant growth and many of our citizens working in private industry have prospered while COR employees earned a modest living.  I think it’s fair to say that no one has ever asked the City of Raleigh for a job with the intentions of becoming wealthy.  Choosing to pursue a career in public service is a calling and for those of us in public safety, at times, it’s a blessing.  Firefighters and Police Officers often interact with our citizens during a time of crisis.  When citizens are at their worst, they see us at our best… and no amount of money can ever replace the pride and sense of fulfillment that we feel by helping others in their time of need. 

Truly, Raleigh is a wonderful place to live, work and invest, with a healthy blend of traditional and new cultures that have helped to reshape and define our city as it is seen by those who seek a new place to call home.  A little research of our own COR website finds boastings of Raleigh’s rankings in several categories.  Forbes Magazine, the Milkin Institute and Kiplinger’s Magazine are only a few who have awarded us top honors.  Here is a sample of the bragging rights touted by the COR website.  We've been called: “a city of the future”, “a top performing city”, “a best place to live”, “a best place to do business”, “America’s hottest boomtown”, “a city that rocks” and it’s been said that we have a “recession proof local economy”.  I believe COR employees have contributed significantly to the effort that has earned Raleigh those, “best of titles” and bragging rights. 

There’s been a lot of chatter about Mr. Allen’s raise.  Well, Mr. Allen is good for the city of Raleigh and personally I have no problem with his ranking as the highest paid city manager in North Carolina, exceeding Charlotte by $20k.  You will never hear us argue against employees being rewarded for their hard work, but there is almost 4k other hardworking COR employees who would like the same parity with their peers.   So of course, in light of the proposed compensation for other city employees the lack of a “reward” prompted my members to complain to me, but what I heard most is their level of frustration.  There is frustration that the COR spend tens of millions of dollars on capital and other special projects that have the potential to send an unknown amount of Raleigh’s tax dollars out of our local economy, when a modest raise for COR employees  amounts to only a fraction of 1%, of the total budget.  There’s frustration over a merit pay system that no one really understands, known as the “quartile system” which has the potential to keep an employee from reaching top pay until near the end of their 30 year career.  And finally, there is frustration that our “range adjustments” are not awarded until the employee’s anniversary date.  Technically this is not a “cost of living raise”, but in reality that is the purpose it serves in the eyes of the employee.  This string-along system effectively puts many COR employees living with over 2 years of inflation before any adjustment is awarded. 

Of course COR employees are willing to support our employer during difficult times.  After all, your success is our livelihood and from the sound of the bragging rights I mentioned, Raleigh has been and continues to be successful.  During the more prosperous years Raleigh’s Fire and Police salaries did not set the pace for other cities to follow by having the highest paid Firefighters and Police Officers in North Carolina.  Therefore it’s difficult for us to hear comments about salary parity with other cities, the motivational benefits of a raise, and how employees are the COR’s top priority while we receive the largest financial pay cut of our careers.  I believe the increase in our insurance costs and the loss of 1% merit pay is a significant and sufficient contribution by COR employees.  The loss of a range adjustment just compounds our worry about our ability to provide for our families.

Raleigh has a 700 million dollar budget.  If you were to follow Durham’s lead and propose a 3% range adjustment for your Firefighters and Police Officers, that would only consume approximately .321% of our total budget, where as the typical 1.5 % would have only consumed about .160% of our total budget.  A 1.5% increase for all city employees would consume approximately .385% of our 700 million dollar budget.  The point I am making is a range adjustment for COR employees is an extremely small percentage of the city’s overall budget, but the increase of insurance costs, the loss of 1% merit pay and the complete loss of a range adjustment is a very large percentage of our personal budgets.

Everyone thinks firefighters have the best work schedule yet they don’t realize we work 56 hours each week plus an additional required 12 hours of overtime every 27 days.  The bottom line is Raleigh’s Firefighters and Police Officers are on the frontlines, around the clock, protecting and saving lives and property.  We too, are hard working employees who feel a sense of ownership in the City of Raleigh, but the current proposal is just as de-motivating to us as it would be to others. 

For years COR Firefighters and Police Officers have accepted that we will never likely be the highest paid in our fields, in the State of North Carolina.  A 1.5% range adjustment will help keep us from falling farther being our peers in and out of state.  We have proven we can build or rebuild anything in the City of Raleigh, but the most difficult of them all will be employee trust, and morale when there is the perception that we have not received a fair deal from a 700 million dollar budget which equates to an amount less that ½ of 1%.  I respect the position you are in, but I urge you to please consider a range adjustment for your public safety employees and to delay any projects that are not urgent, or that have the potential to send tax dollars out of our local economy. 

Thank you for your time, your patience and your understanding.  At this time I would ask all those who support my comments to rise.