We’re Worth It – The Story of AFSCME’s Campaign for Fair Salaries
Last fall, at the 11th hour of the County budget process, AFSCME got on the agenda of the Commissioners Court to deliver a message:
The number one compensation priority needs to be funding a market study for the civilian workforce. The budget had all but passed and included NOTHING for the employees. No cost of living adjustments, no pay for performance money, and no money for market adjustments. That was not acceptable to us. With good timing, our presentation was followed by an update from the County Auditor showing 5.9 million dollars of unallocated money that could be used to fund market adjustments. Heeding our message, the commissioners earmarked the money for a later date pending more information from the County Budget director.
Two months later Travis County completed the market study and it is no surprise that the results show that over 70% of County employees are at least 1 pay grade behind the proper market level. AFSCME continues to lead the charge for funding these market studies, and we are taking the next step by launching our “We’re Worth It” campaign. We are ramping up the pressure on the Commissioners to fund these studies. While we are optimistic about the success of this campaign, we are taking nothing for granted. We anticipate that the commissioners will vote on 2/21.
There are 2 keys to the success of this campaign. The first is that we need to make sure that the Commissioners know that the civilian workforce is watching how they will vote on funding the market study. The second key is that this is not about asking for raises; this campaign is about highlighting the fact that, in an affluent community such as ours, we shouldn’t be paying 70% of the workforce less than the market average. People should be paid fairly for the work that they do. You are worth it!!
This is your fight, so don’t rely on others to carry the load for you. Become an AFSCME member today and do your part to help.
We are also asking our members to contact the following:
County Judge: Samuel T. Biscoe
Commissioner, Precinct 1: Ron Davis
Commissioner, Precinct 2: Sarah Eckhardt
Sarah.eckhardt@co.travis.tx.us
Commissioner, Precinct 3: Karen Huber
Commissioner, Precinct 4: Margaret Gómez
Commissioner.gomez@co.travis.tx.us
Tell them your name, where you work, what you do for the county, and why you think you should be paid fairly.
General Membership Meeting - February 23rd, 5:30 - 6:30 pm - AFL-CIO auditorium.
Next Wave Committee Meeting - February 16th, 5:30 - 6:30 pm - AFL-CIO auditorium.
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