Public Officials See Salaries Inflate With COVID Overtime

Link: https://www.governing.com/work/Public-Officials-See-Salaries-Inflate-With-COVID-Overtime.html

Excerpt:

Among all county employees, 1,226 staffers received $5.9 million in overtime related to the new coronavirus health crisis last year and saw their paychecks grow thanks to federal CARES Act stimulus money awarded to Erie County. But of the nearly $6 million in Covid-19-related overtime paid out last year in federal funds, 54 political appointees received $1.3 million of it. In other words, those 4.4 percent of the workers got 22.1 percent of the money.

These government administrators would not typically receive overtime pay. However, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz allowed all non-union, managerial confidential employees to accept overtime pay for their Covid-19 related work because he said his administration received explicit guidance that CARES Act federal stimulus money allows non-union managers to collect it.

Author(s): SANDRA TAN, THE BUFFALO NEWS

Publication Date: 29 January 2021

Publication Site: Governing