Star, I’ll see your Thorn and raise you one

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by David Safier
Instead of addressing Rob O'Dell's shoddy reporting (here and here) about raises and new jobs in city government, the Star decided to double down and repeat O'Dell's inaccuracies.

The editorial section gave Mike Letcher a thorn.

A THORN to City Manager Mike Letcher, who promoted three staffers and gave them raises totalling $34,000. Upping the salaries of these already well-paid employees is inappropriate during this economic crisis. Businesses, universities, schools and governments are freezing salaries, requiring unpaid furloughs, cutting retirement-plan contributions, laying off workers and reducing services. A living wage, yes. Promotional raises? Wrong.

I was a teacher. If I had been promoted to a Vice Principal's position, I would have expected a higher salary. The position is at a higher pay grade. Even if salaries were frozen, even if teachers were taking pay cuts and unpaid furloughs, I would expect more money, because that goes with the job.

I imagine at the Star, if someone is promoted, that person gets a higher salary, just like everyone else at that level on the Star's pay structure. I imagine that would happen even if the Star was laying people off, even if salaries were frozen, even if people were taking unpaid furloughs.

This isn't about more money for the same job. This is about more money for a higher position with greater expectations of authority and responsibility.

The Star is wrong to say a promotion shouldn't come with a higher salary. And it carefully ignores the fact that the three people promoted are making a total of $37,000 less than the people who had been in those positions previously.

This is only one part of O'Dell's article, but the Star got this part wrong, again.

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