As county workers hear more and more about pay, collective bargaining, and other assorted issues, there is a lot of misinformation out there.
You know what propaganda sounds like. You’re going to be hearing a lot of it through unwanted text messages, messages to your personal e mail and cell phones. And it’s designed to do one thing: get your signature on something to for the purposes of winning a campaign. Now the other union is demanding your focus number from the County.
Wouldn’t you like to hear it straight, on issues you care about?
Pay
In addition to the confusion about “pay compression” it’s time for the annual concern about the MRA (Market Rate Adjustment), often confused with the “COLA” (cost of living adjustment”). Every year the MRA is calculated by County staff and only occasionally fully funded by the Board of Supervisors. Last year it was funded in full.
The County executive will announce this year’s budget on February 21 st . We will be doing everything we can to make sure that the County keeps faith with its workers. We’re hoping that a fair across the Board raise is provided. The MRA system just isn’t fair or understandable.
Attrition
County agencies are still significantly understaffed, with the vacancy rate continuing in the mid teens, and higher in other areas of the County such as Public Works and Human Services. The principal reason is pay that is non competitive with other jurisdictions and private industry. But other factors contribute as well, especially working conditions and a difficult promotional and hiring process. More control of the promotional process is needed to keep it fair and open to all.
Health Care
It costs too much, there’s not enough choice, and its prohibitively expensive for retirees. We need to have the County freeze costs as much as possible and offer more choice in care throughout the regions where our workers live. Now there is a contract dispute between CIGNA and a local provider that may affect many County workers that are out of area. (Remember the Mary Washington issue last year?) We’ve got to do better and do more than just raise everyone’s rates every year.
Retirement
Fairfax has a pension benefit that’s ahead of all others in Virginia. There have been several stories circulating about the investment of pension funds in cryptocurrency, and one of the firms has bankrupted. But it’s a small percentage of the pension funds totaling over 6 billion dollars, and it won’t affect your benefit in any way. Any loss would have to be covered by the Board of Supervisors. Might not have been the best investment, but it has no impact on retirees or current employees. Our pension system is strong, and we have FWC representation on the Board of Trustees.
Let us know of any issues that concern you and want answers on. We’ll help you get them.