The salaries of government employees are a public record, and anyone who wants to know how much a local or state government worker is making can simply ask, and, by law, the questioners must get a very quick answer. So, the Rhino Times was confused when, recently, it began getting calls and emails like the following:
“Guilford County Government is hiding pay rate from Emergency Services employees. EMTs and Paramedics are working, and have no idea how much they are being paid. This has been happening since 11/6/22. Guilford County, [the] City of Greensboro, [and the] City of High Point are undergoing a public safety crisis and the EMS system is collapsing. The human resources department of Guilford County is playing unethical games with their employees who depend on their public safety job to provide for their families.”
The complaints came not only from Emergency Medical Technicians but also from employees in other departments.
The Rhino Times was particularly confused by the complaints given that, recently, under Guilford County Manager Mike Halford, county employees have had benefits showered upon them. In the last 12 months, those employees have seen across the board raises, increases in retirement and insurance benefits, and many other perks that private sector employees would be stunned by in the current economy.
Two county department directors – Emergency Services Director Jim Albright and Social Services Director Sharon Barlow – both said that Guilford County was absolutely not withholding information from employees as to how much they were being paid, but they added that they did know the cause of the complaints that they – and many other department heads – had been hearing since early November.
One of Guilford County’s recent pay hikes is to go into effect for county employees in a late November paycheck, and the formula as to the exact amount of that increase is quite complex and is position dependent.
Both Albright and Barlow said that in large departments – such as Emergency Services and Social Services – it was prohibitively time-consuming for directors to individually contact hundreds of employees and inform them of the new salaries.
In a department consisting of four or five employees, on the other hand, they said, the director could sit with each employee and go over the details of the pay hike. However, in large departments – where the complaints were coming from – that wasn’t the case.
On Friday, Nov. 18, the two directors said, emails were scheduled to be sent to county employees to let those employees know exactly how much more they would be making under the new pay scale.
Hopefully, that should resolve the issue.
An excellent explanation of a complex subject. Thanks for the clarity!!
Seems like these 2 directors are weak at best using little forethought for their employees. Guess typical for this city/ county.
I started reading but just had to stop. With people going hungry and crime at the highest ever why do the higher ups feel they deserve a raise. With what they are already making they live rich. The Sheriff already is one if the highest with only 4 yr experience and that’s at a failed administration who’s seniors officers are terrified to hold their heads up. Why does Danny need a 30000 raise making him 204000. Omg…taxes are at its highest. All these folks getting these raises are following Bidens money train. Fatten those pockets. I still say Impeach him. Folks with the second in command who is building a new house do you know with what he’s made in 4 yrs…now he already has a bunch of rentals will have almost paid his house off in full in just 4 yrs. All them administration folks getting rich. Bet not one living in a neighborhood of the middle class. All these administration raises will cost millions … MILLIONS WHILE THE WORKERS GET A 3% … just enough for taxes the take back.
City and County employees should take comfort, and be thankful, that their salaries, perquisites, retirement, and additional benefits are greater than the private sector, thanks to federal windfalls, property inflation, and their spendthrift leadership.
Ref the pregnant female with a one yr old the GCSO deputy left on the side of the road after stopping her. She informed him her battery went dead. He said if he had jumper cables he’d help but when she said she had some he left her on the interstate. Time to take that new mustang put him in the blaliffs.
All they have to do is look at their paystub and do the math. Nothing is “hidden”. It’s all in the employee portal. Not sure about the public request but nothing is “hidden” in my department.
Then why don’t you publish them like you did for years? Believe me, employees know better than to ask, regardless of what you say.
Rewarding the faithful. Meanwhile us peons struggle along just to survive at 28% inflationary raise in supermarket food prices, 30%+ increase in property taxes (my sister’s was nearly double), 40-50% raise in prices for good used cars. Natural gas to heat our homes & water, up nearly 40%.
Read any commodity chart YOY. (oops, many of us leave school without learning to read anything but a screen on their Dumbphone).
Yet the faithful & ignorant, in spite of all this and many other things, voted to keep the Democrat Senate.
Where you gonna go?
Why aren’t the salaries published in Rhino anymore? For years it was done then it stopped. At least give the website where taxpayers can go to see how much employees are making. Maybe they’ll be a little nicer if they know most county employees don’t make as much as they think.
An employee’s pay is public record, so all anyone needs to do is request it. The Rhino and News & Record get them every spring, but the salaries can be obtained at any time, by anyone.
The Rhino stopped publishing salaries when Roy Carroll bailed out Hammer and bought the Rhino Times.
Yep, doesn’t want to mess up the bed he’s made with city and county. He has made out like a bandit.