N.C. New Castle County minimum wage workers to see boost
NCCo minimum wage workers to see boost
Adam Taylor, The News Journal9:01 a.m. EST March 4, 2014
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(Photo: DANIEL SATO/The News Journal)
New Castle County employees who earn minimum wage will soon receive a pay increase to $10.10 an hour under a new plan approved by County Executive Tom Gordon.
Gordon is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday that increases the hourly wage from the current $7.25. Gordon's move follows President Barack Obama's executive order last month that increased the minimum wage to $10.10 for thousands of employees who work under federal contracts.
Obama is urging Congress to increase the national hourly minimum wage for all Americans to the same level.
Gordon's executive order will cost the county about $100,000 a year, Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi said Monday. At any given time, between 20 and 50 employees in the county's 1,950-person workforce earn the minimum wage.
Many of them are part-time or seasonal workers.
"It's hard to do anything while earning the minimum wage, let alone raise and feed a family," Gordon said. "It's just the least we can do."
In January, Gov. Jack Markell signed into law the state Legislature's minimum wage hike for all Delawareans.
The wage will increase by 50 cents, to $7.75, on June 1. It will jump to $8.25 on June 1, 2015.
Gordon's executive order won't go into effect until July 1, the start of the county government's fiscal year. The increase for four of the workers who earn minimum wage has to be approved by County Council and Grimaldi wanted the council to have the opportunity to discuss the issue during their budget hearings.
Council President Chris Bullock supports the increase, saying it will give hope to the people getting the raises.
"We need to give everybody, especially the working poor, the chance to experience the American dream," he said.
Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick, one of two Republicans on the 13-member council, is on board with the executive order as well.
"I think $7.25 is really, really low," she said. "Even though it's an executive order, I'm glad it's going in effect on July 1, so we can have open discussions about it with the public during the upcoming budget cycle."
Gordon was county executive from 1997 to 2004 before being elected again in 2012. He said he issued a similar executive order when he first took office 17 years ago that raised the starting salaries of the county's lowest-paid employees.
County acting Chief of Staff Jim McDonald said the move is about more than money. "Getting paid a little more also brings pride back to an individual," he said.
Council members George Smiley, Penrose Hollins and Jea Street are among the county legislators who support the move, Grimaldi said.
"There's no reason why county employees shouldn't make a livable wage," Street said. "I hope this is an example for employers in the private sector to do what's right for hard-working people."
Bud Lockard, president of Local No. 459, which represents county parks, sewer and maintenance workers, said many of the employees who will get raises pick up trash and cut grass in parks and around storm retention basins. Many are recent high school graduates or college students who live with their parents. Some use part of their money to help add to the household income.
"These guys bust their hump to come to work every day, getting up way earlier than a lot of us do to get here by 7 a.m. because they have to take the bus," Lockard said. "Seven or eight dollars an hour isn't going to cut it for them."
The pay hikes will increase the likelihood that workers will remain in their positions for longer periods of time, which will allow county supervisors to better evaluate them for permanent, full-time positions, Lockard said.
"If we're going to grow our own, this is a good way to start," Lockard said.
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