City wastewater employees to receive raise of $3 an hour

Council President Robert Corradino said the raise was necessary to provide employees a living wage.

“It is very important to be competitive in our pay to our employees,” he said. “We found out there is pressure on all municipalities to pay a decent wage. Everything is going up: food, gas, rent, even interest on a mortgage.”

Corradino said he hopes the higher wages can help retain employees.

“If we have people who are working and being paid substantially less, they are going to leave after we train them to (go to) another city to make more money,” he noted.

Ken Scherrieble, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1785, Council 66 represents wastewater department employees. He said the starting salary prior to these raises wasn’t the biggest issue. “The problem is that as you get certified, the city really started to lag behind the market,” he said. “You want to attract good people to have a good base.”

Wastewater employees can acquire different State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) certifications, which come with higher pay.

“The city had employees for 15 years and they weren’t making what an operator was making in today’s market,” Scherrieble said.

Scherrieble added municipal jobs still don’t tend to pay as much as others in the private market. 

“It is a little light, but the state benefits weigh into people’s decisions,” he said.