Holyoke officials air concerns about city employee turnover, wage stagnation - MassLive.com

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HOLYOKE — Employee turnover linked to stagnant wages remains a concern six years after the city commissioned a study of nonunion workers' salaries.

The City Council’s Ordinance Committee and various department heads on Tuesday revisited the 2014 salary report, prepared by Human Resources Services Inc. at a cost to the city of $25,000.

Mayor Alex B. Morse in 2018 called for implementing the study’s findings, but the city has yet to do so. Morse said at the time that 48 nonunion employees had not received a raise or cost-of-living adjustment in a decade or more, and did not have salaries in line with what other cities and in towns in Western Massachusetts were paying.

Personnel Director Hector Carrasquillo said Tuesday that department heads now found the study “outdated,” adding that some employees have earned increases within their paygrade bracket.

“We’re looking to compensate Holyoke employees at a rate they should be compensated in the current times, 2020,” Carrasquillo said.

“We are behind, and there’s maybe some more work that’s going to have to go into this,” he said. “That’s the price and investment we’re going to have to make into the fact we never implemented this when it was conducted.”

Councilor Joseph M. McGiverin said the 2014 study also looked at the salaries of Holyoke Public Library staff, some of whom barely made minimum wage.

“The travesty doesn’t just focus on the employees of the library,” McGiverin said. “There are many employees who have been working far below similar jobs in neighboring communities and similar positions in the Pioneer Valley itself.”

Carrasquillo said employee turnover has its own costs for the city. He estimated the hiring process, from initial application to offer acceptance, costs $230 per person. Benefits like health insurance and workers' compensation are also variables that affect hiring costs.

“We can attract a particular talent, but how long are we obtaining them?” he said.

In exit interviews, Carrasquillo said, employees often stated it was time to move on or that salaries were too low.

Chief Procurement Officer Lori Belanger, who was hired less than five years ago, said the Law Department has seen six attorneys leave in that time.

Belanger’s department must adhere to strict state laws and regulations, which calls for her to frequently interact with city attorneys. But just as she develops a working relationship with the attorney, they leave, she said.

Before the discussion, Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon called for a legal opinion on whether any salary increases could create conflicts of interest for city councilors.

Councilor Rebecca Lisi, who chairs the Ordinance Committee, said the study examined only nonunion workers, though Vacon pointed out an appendix refers to elected officials as well.

Lisi said the council is tasked with governing potential ethical issues. If needed, elected officials can call the State Ethics Commission for guidance.

City Solicitor Crystal Barnes did not see any conflicts or ethical problems in discussing the salary study.

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