Gary explores rewarding more city employees

Gary employees missing out on premium payments for work during the COVID-19 pandemic because they did not reach the 80% work threshold established for qualification may be getting a prorated payment after all.

Some Common Council members said Tuesday in a personnel committee meeting it was their intent to provide payments of some kind to all employees, not just those who meet the threshold to receive 100% of the payment.

Council President William Godwin, D-1st, said he received a list of 34 fire department employees who will not receive the premium pay made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act funding because they worked less than the 80% threshold for payment due to injury or illness.

“I just don’t think it’s fair people working 79% get zero,” Godwin said.

He asked the administration to determine prorated payments for the impacted workers.

Attorney Rodney Pol said the threshold policy was set because determining a prorated amount for each individual employee would have been an “absolute nightmare” for staff.

Godwin in a phone interview following the meeting said the issue started with representatives from the fire department union calling attention to the workers in that department that would not receive the payment.

“It started with the fire department, but I found out other folks throughout the city are effected by the policy as it currently stands,” Godwin said. He would like to see those who worked less than the threshold receive an amount prorated to the time they did work during the pandemic.

“The overwhelming majority of city employees qualify for the full amount,” Godwin said.

While premium payments initially targeted first responders and other front-line workers, the city created a program for almost all city workers who meet the 80% work threshold to receive some type of premium pay payment. Amounts range from $2,500 to $5,000 after tax.

The $5,000 payments are for first responders.

“Ultimately everybody for the most part is getting something,” Godwin said.

Deputy Mayor Trent McCain in a phone interview said, in order to be fair, the city needs to hold the line that the people who received the premium pay are those who worked the supermajority of the time — 80%.

“What would not be fair is for someone who worked only half the time during this period receiving the same amount of money. The whole impetus behind premium pay is to reward those employees who put their own safety at risk coming to work every day,” McCain said.