Claremont
The 7-1 vote, with only Claire Lessard voting for the increase — Mayor Charlene Lovett was absent — came after a few councilors said the increases were not warranted in light of the city being unable to reach a new contract with public works and clerical union employees.
Councilor Andrew O’Hearne, a former union negotiator when he was with the city’s police department, called the proposal from City Manager Ryan McNutt a “slap in the face” to the union employees, many of whom were sitting in the audience at the council meeting.
“This is really getting irritating,” O’Hearne said. “Let’s finish negotiations, then we can address merit employees.”
O’Hearne also said McNutt did not provide the council with what it had requested: a comprehensive breakdown of what every nonunion employee earns annually.
“I think we made clear what we asked for,” he said.
Though the increases in minimum and maximum pay were proposed for all 12 pay grade classifications, McNutt acknowledged that one immediate effect would be to hire a new assessor at roughly $93,000 a year.
“Yes, this highly qualified person would come in at the high end of the (grade 11) pay scale,” McNutt said. “This gives us the ability to hire this person.”
McNutt previously had tried to raise the grade classification for the assessing position to 12, the highest on the salary scale, from 11, which would have allowed him to hire the assessor at almost $93,000 under the current salary schedule, but the council rejected that proposal.
On Dec. 1, the city contracted with former New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration Commissioner Stephan Hamilton with the Whitney Consulting Group to serve as interim assessor through March 30 or until a new assessor is hired.
McNutt said his recommendation to raise the nonunion salary schedule was not just to hire an assessor but was part of a broader effort to give raises to many long-time employees who have reached the maximum for their pay grade. He defended his proposal on Wednesday, telling the council that about a dozen long-time merit employees are at the “end of the runway” for their pay grade and it has been four years since the non-union salary scale was increased.
“They are sacrificing so those bargaining collectively can get something,” he said.
He also emphasized that merit employees would not automatically get an increase just because the salary range increased.
“This just gives us the ability. None of this is automatic,” he said. “We don’t have the flexibility to do anything now. All this does is extend the runway.”
But councilors did not agree with McNutt’s rationale. O’Hearne said merit employees pay less of a percentage for health insurance and now McNutt wants to move up the merit pay but “we don’t have money to pay the unions.”
Regarding public works employees, McNutt said the union agreed to go without an increase last year in exchange for keeping the health insurance coverage, which he said cost the city an additional $1,600 per employee. “It is an increase not reflected in their paycheck.”
Councilor Scott Pope also had a problem with increasing pay for merit employees while union negotiations were stalled.
“I know what this looks like to those with boots on the ground,” said Pope, a teacher in the school district who pointed out he is a member of a union. “I have to support these people. I would like to see negotiations finished.”
McNutt said the next negotiating sessions with the unions is today and he is confident an agreement will be reached with a pay increase.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
