BY MATT HERSH

Members of the town’s managers union are one step closer to getting a raise after the budget committee said they approved of their request on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Voters did not approve of giving the Salem Professional Administrators Association (SPAA) union a 3 percent raise last year, and the budget committee declined to recommend the proposal because issues with how the contract was written.

Now that town officials and members from the administrators association have rewritten the contract, the budget committee voted 6-3 in favor of the raise.  Voters will decide on the proposal in March.

Fire Chief Kevin Breen, who is the head of the SPAA union, told the committee that he was happy with the work done to fix the contract’s language and he was hoping for voter support.

The new contract asks voters to approve $72,533 for a 3 percent cost of living raise.

Though the budget committee had taken issue with the contract’s language, Breen said he thinks voters might have passed on the raise because they were confused about what they were voting for.

“They thought they were voting for the formation of the union,” Breen said.

The raise will be given to all members of the union and additional raises may be given to department heads to fix a situation where their subordinates are earning more money, according to Town
Manager Henry LaBranche.

Under the new contract, six department heads – the public works director, police chief, fire chief, community development director, engineering director, and finance director – will no longer be part of the union.

LaBranche said the discrepancy in pay became an issue over the past year and he wants to correct it as soon as possible.

Selectmen Chairman Michael Lyons said the problem is a result of mistakes made in the past by town officials.

“I think it’s only right that we adjust the salaries of our senior department heads who are not receiving a competitive salary,” LaBranche said.

Though the board ultimately approved the potential raises, several members spoke against it.

“When have you met someone in the private sector who received a 3 percent raise,” said committee member Pat Hargreaves.  “I’d love to meet that guy.”

Hargreaves said he wasn’t opposed to town employees receiving the pay they deserve, but he’s upset at having to pay for mistakes made in the past.

With the town’s recent revaluation, which brought about higher taxes for many residents, Hargreaves said it might be unfair to ask voters to support the raises.

Still, LaBranche said bringing the raise before voters is an important step in setting things right with respect to earnings for Salem’s high-ranking employees.

“I think 3 percent is below the cost of living, and it’s what’s fair at this point,” he said.  “If voters find this to be more than they can support, they’ll tell us."