The Essex County Board of Supervisors made a lot of friends with its vote against a North Country Community College labor agreement because of the raises targeted for the school's support staff.
The supervisors voted 8-6 against approving the contract. The sticking point was the raises for the 24 employees in the bargaining unit. The raises would amount to $1,000 for the first year and 3 percent in each of the remaining two years of the contract's life. That's a lot of money for taxpayers to pony up during a period of such economic stress.
It is also what separates the public employment sector from private industry. Most of the workers in private business or industry are having to do without raises altogether. Some are enduring pay cuts or furlough days. Many of them have lost their jobs and have only unemployment insurance to tide them over. How are these people supposed to pay for raises for employees on the public payroll?
Board of Supervisors Chair Randy Douglas (D-Jay) summed it up best, when he said, "I can't support raises at this time for anybody." He noted that employees in his own town will have to do without any raises this year. How, then, could he agree to increase the pay at the county-co-sponsored Community College?
It's a shame that schools are in such a predicament, but they share the same predicament in which everyone is immersed. They're paying no more penalty than anybody else. Workers must understand they won't find many sympathetic ears if they take their case to the court of public opinion.
Most assuredly, they deserve a raise. So does everyone else, including the taxpayer who is being asked to put up the money. But to give raises to public employees now would only deepen the crisis for taxpayers.
The taxpayers must swallow hard learning that the existing college staff receives free medical insurance. New hires would be required to pay only 8 percent. That's almost an insult to taxpayers, most of whom are paying a far higher percentage of their own medical-insurance costs.
Unfortunately, this issue comes on the heels of news that North Country has been ranked a dizzying 22nd among the nation's 650 community colleges for learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, support for learning and four-year graduation success.
Obviously, the college is a high performer, and the residents of the two sponsoring counties — Essex and Franklin — should be very proud and eager to reward the staff for its achievement.
It is most unfortunate that the high ranking and the deep recession coincide.
We don't know yet how the Franklin County Legislature will react to the labor contract, and we don't know whether the Essex County Supervisors will hold to its vote if the contract is resubmitted.
At this point, though, the supervisors have represented their towns appropriately. Townspeople aren't getting raises and can't afford to give them.
Opinion
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