A Raise For Town Highway Workers
By Doug La Rocque
For a year, the Grafton Highway Department employees and the town have been discussing pay rates, first through the Teamsters Union, which represented workers for a short while, and then directly with a town board/citizens committee. The employees turned down a contract that was negotiated by the union with the town, claiming the $15 dollar an hour rate simply wasn’t high enough. At several meetings, representatives of the employees urged the town offer them a rate of at least $17 an hour, claiming the pay scale was the reason the department was shorthanded and could not recruit new employees. Town Board members agreed, but stated, as long as the employees were represented by the Teamsters, they had to negotiate with the union.
That all changed this past spring, when the town workers de-certified the union, and began to talk directly with the Town. At the Monday, July 8 Town Board meeting, Board member Jeff Wagar introduced a resolution to increase their pay to $18 an hour for full-time workers, which, after a six month probationary period, would increase to $18.50. Part time workers wages would remain at $15. The increase takes effect with the next pay period. The rate change was approved 4 to 0, with Supervisor Ingrid Gundrum absent.
Because of space consideration this week, the rest of the Town Board report will appear in our next issue.