Meiners Objects to 7% Raises for Avon Lake Municipal Utilities Workers

Avon Lake City Councilman Larry Meiners is ojecting to proposed 7 percent raises for three employees.

The three employees, Kris Kral, Andre Mackin (recommended both move to biller bookkeeper I) and Linda Stotridge (cashier/bookkeeper) would have their hourly rates invrease to $26.11 each, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2011, if legislation is approved. The three positions are for non-bargaining unit employees.

Meiners objected at the June 13 meeting.

The utilities department revised the position’s descriptions recently. In an email to Rick Eberle, the Chief of Utility Operations for ALMU said the positions had not been reviewed and rewritten since 1991.

“What this request is for is a ‘job upgrade’ not a ‘pay raise’ and in fact the only pay change is reflected in the established rate for the given job description and that is what the concerned city council members need to understand.”

Meiners said he felt Eberle was essentially playing word games.

“Just because a position has been redefined is not reason to increase pay to them by 7 percent in today's climate," Meiners said. “City council has shown that 7 percent increases are unheard of. They’re increasing salaries by 7 percent. I know the

Recently, all city union employees took a three-year pay freeze and the Avon Lake teachers’ union . Similarly, city council members declined to give themselves a raise this year. 

Eberle said in his email that the three employees referenced have been working under the Biller-Bookkeeper II position which is the utilities’ lowest clerical position “although their actual job responsibilities match those of the Biller-Bookkepper I and Cashier-Bookkeper.”

Eberle also noted that “these requests have been sitting in City Council’s hands for six months now” and he wanted them completed.

Zilka is requesting a representative, preferably Todd Danielson, ALMU’s chief utilities executive be present at the June 27 council meeting.