[Publib] Minimum Wage Increase

[Andrea Berstler]

To help put this in perspective - our small library (serves just under
10,000 with 1 fulltime and 7 very part-time staff) will have to raise
salaries for some staff to meet minimum (shelvers) and others to keep the
pay scale accurate. We are looking at just over a 10% increase in payroll
costs (between pay and taxes). This was a huge hit in our tiny budget.  
 
Needless to say, the state did not increase our funding to compensate the
costs - PA is looking at something like 2% increase in library funding
statewide. Since we cannot follow our "cousins" in the retail world and just
raise prices to make up the difference, what's to be done? 
 
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From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of James Casey
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 5:26 PM
To: Backwage at aol.com; publib at webjunction.org; moneytalks at ala-apa.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Minimum Wage Increase



I couldn't agree more.  Library managers need to have time to prepare their
budgets to absorb the hit.  Pay scales can't be improved without budgets
capable of sustaining those higher salaries.   That means higher taxes!   

 

Hundreds of our poorer public libraries in Illinois (and we have over 600
public libraries in this state) are faced with the Illinois minimum wage act
passed several months ago.  Raising the salaries of many of the staff who
earned less than $7.25 per hour hits library budgets with tens of thousands
of dollars in additional expense without a nickel in the way of increase in
library revenues.  While we are pushing to improve library revenues in the
face of tax caps, angry taxpayers and anti-tax politicians, the higher
salaries have to be paid first.  That could well mean layoffs in libraries
around Illinois.   The crisis may well inspire some improvement in library
funding, but the pain of layoffs will probably hit first.

 

Our own Library has already had good enough funding to pay decent wages and
the minimum wage increase won't even impact the bottom of our lowest scale
($7.79).  Still, our starting Librarian pay is only $38,304.72.  We need to
do better.  

 

 

James B. Casey  --- my own views

Director of Oak Lawn Public Library

ALA Council Member - candidate for re-election.

 

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From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Backwage at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 11:17 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org; moneytalks at ala-apa.org
Subject: [Publib] Minimum Wage Increase

 

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill to increase the federal
minimum wage; that increase, the first in almost a decade, would raise the
minimum from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over a  two-year period.  The Senate
has voted against the bill, but passage in that house appears to depend upon
the addition of tax breaks for small businesses.  In any event, nearly all
experts in the field believe that the bill will eventually be passed and the
wage increased.

 

The effect of an increase in the minimum wage should be considered by
library managers well in advance of its occurrence.  Public employees are
explicitly covered by the federal minimum, and the instantaneous change in
wage rates and relationships calls for quick change, not only in wage rates
but in other areas of administration as well.

 

Apart from the simple increase in wages and the impact upon budget planning,
other significant elements to consider include the effect upon current
collective bargaining agreements, retirement and benefit contributions, and
overtime calculations.

 

The increase provides an opportunity for management to re-evaluate pay
structures and practices; within the collective bargaining milieu it offers
the chance for a constructive discussion of wages and classifications, with
or without a re-opening of the agreement.  The time to act is now, before
the wage increases become law.

 

M. McGrorty







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