After library finding, action on minimum wage proposal delayed

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 1/29/20

By DANIEL KITTREDGE Action on a proposal to set a minimum hourly wage of $12.75 for city employees will wait another month. And while the measure remains on course for passage, the outcome of recent legal reviews means it will affect a much smaller pool

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After library finding, action on minimum wage proposal delayed

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Action on a proposal to set a minimum hourly wage of $12.75 for city employees will wait another month.

And while the measure remains on course for passage, the outcome of recent legal reviews means it will affect a much smaller pool of workers than initially anticipated.

The City Council on Monday voted 7-0 to amend the ordinance amendment, sponsored by Ward 3 Councilman John Donegan and Citywide Councilman Steve Stycos, to reflect that employees of the Cranston Public Library are among those workers exempt from the new wage floor.

That change was made based on a review – conducted by attorney Vincent Ragosta – that determined the library’s Board of Trustees, under state law, retains exclusive authority over the compensation of the library system’s employees.

“The Library Board of Trustees agrees in principal with the spirit of this proposed ordinance, which is to increase the wages of our hardworking part-time employees,” Library Director Ed Garcia and Board of Trustees Chairman Jack Tregar wrote in a Jan. 23 letter to Council President Michael Farina regarding the review’s findings. “But as a matter of law, the library is exempt from inclusion in this ordinance.”

The letter notes that of the library’s 43 part-time employees, five – all high school students – earn the state minimum wage of $10.50 an hour. Twenty-eight earn $12 an hour, while the remaining 10 earn between $12.24 and $12.73 an hour.

“The Library of Trustees welcomes a discussion with the Administration and the City Council during budget sessions for the next fiscal year to address funding an increase for these hard working part-time employees as well as addressing equity and compression issues for our other part-time employees who earn more than $12.75 per hour,” the letter reads.

As a result of the library’s findings, city Finance Director Robert Strom said Monday that just 23 workers – largely spread across the Police Department, Parks and Recreation Department, Department of Senior Services and Veterans Memorial Ice Rink – earn under $12.75 hourly and would be affected by the ordinance. The city’s overall workforce includes approximately 600 people, with roughly 155 part-timers.

Factoring in the library employees, Strom had previously estimated the financial impact of instituting the minimum wage would be approximately $66,000 annually. Without the library employees – who make up roughly three-quarters of the group making less than $12.75 – the cost would be significantly less.

The proposal from Donegan and Stycos would take effect Jan. 1, 2021. It includes additional exemptions for high school students, Cranston Public Schools employees and seasonal workers.

At the council’s request, Verdecchia had also reviewed whether any provision of state law would prohibit the city from setting a minimum wage.

“I don’t see where there would be a conflict if the city decided to adopt a minimum wage standard for its own employees,” he said.

Stycos and Donegan initially made the case for voting on the ordinance amendment at Monday’s meeting before agreeing to the continuation.

“We got into this to help people, and we have the opportunity to do that tonight,” Donegan said.

Stycos said while the proposed increase affects a small number of workers, it would make a “little difference in their lives” and reward their contributions to the city. He also urged his fellow council members to revisit the issue during the upcoming budget process.

“Let’s get them up to $12.75, and when the budget hearings come up, let’s ask the directors if they think they should be above $12.75,” he said, noting that the council on Monday also approved pay increases for school bus drivers and administrative assistants as part of contractual wage re-openers.

In a social media posting Tuesday, Donegan wrote that he was “disappointed” by the library’s legal finding but understood the need for the additional delay in action on the minimum wage amendment, which was originally introduced in September.

“I look forward to passing this into law next month, hopefully unanimously,” he wrote.

Some council members remained skeptical of acting on the wage issue outside of the budget process.

“I just think the process is backwards,” Ward 6 Councilman Michael Favicchio said.

As he has done at previous meetings, Farina recused himself from the discussion and votes regarding the minimum wage issue, citing his father’s part-time employment with the library system. Ward 5 Councilman Chris Paplauskas was absent from Monday’s meeting.

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