City employees one step closer to getting longevity pay

tonight. in 2006-then city manager joyce wilson suspended longevity pay. that’s extra pay for city employees who have been employed 5 years or longer. instead it was reorganized as a 1- point-5 to 2-point-5 percent increase every 5 years. city employees soon realized they were getting short changed. abc-7’s jerry najera is live with the story… rick estela sun metro bus union members filed a grievance about this several years ago but they were denied because they didn’t go through the proper channels. well this time they got it right and got some results not only for them but all city employees. today an attorney representing local unions submitted a group grievance. the grievance had to go through city supervisors- human resources- and ultimately the department of labor. the grievance was heard by the civil service commision which makes recommendations to city council. unions argued the change from longevity pay to the 1 point 5 to 2 point 5 increase was significant cut in their paycheck. tonight the civil service commision agreed the ordiance that gauranteed longevity pay should be honored. “these city employees are famil they are the family of el paso of every one and it makes a difference to their families to both have fairness at work and better pay” the unions also wanted back pay -the motion wasn’t exactly clear if it included back pay only to honor longevity pay. the civil service commision can only make a recommendation to city council. i asked gillespie who you saw the interview what if city council turns it down he said they will take it to court. a showdown at a pivotal moment in