STPUD employees may receive 3-year 9% raise
By Kathryn Reed
South Tahoe Public Utility District’s board on Sept. 4 is expected to approve a three-year contract with employees that includes raises each of those years.
The union this week ratified the contract. The deal affects about 100 of the 112 employees.
For the first year workers will receive a raise of 2 percent. This is retroactive to July 3, when the pay period started for the start of this fiscal year.
Raises for years two and three will be based on the Consumer Price Index for Small West Coast Cities All Urban Consumers. However, the minimum the raise can be is 2 percent for each the next two years. The maximum raise for the three years cannot be more than a combined 9 percent raise.
“What took us the most amount of time was to develop protections on the low and high side for workers and the district,” Richard Solbrig, general manager for the district, told Lake Tahoe News. He said there were 12 negotiation sessions.
Another change to the contract includes getting Martin Luther King Jr. off instead of Lincoln’s birthday. This takes effect in 2015.
In the past, employees received 11 set holidays plus three hours of floating holiday pay. That has been increased one full floating day.
The old contract called for an extra day of vacation to be added when employees reached years 20 and 25. That has been changed to years 15 and 20.
The management contract is still under review. It was a four-year contract that stipulated at year two, which is now, the contract could be opened to discuss salaries and the possibility of a market survey. Solbrig said there is no appetite to pay for a survey, but salaries are under consideration.
Medical insurance rates are not going up at the district in the next year.
Any CalPERS increases, per the contract, are split between the district and employees — at least up to the maximum CalPERS allows. After that, the district must pay the bill. This was a requirement carried over from the previous contract.
I want to throw up reading this. Our public safety employees and teachers have been getting pay decreases and these folks are getting a 10% raise. Wow. Insurance rates are not going up, hmm? I guess well have the best water /sewer employees money can buy. Where are the priorities.
Where are the priorities? Uh how about providing you with reliable safe drinking water (something much of the world does not have access to) . Or dealing with everything you flush down the toilet every morning. I have travelled in countries where people do not have safe drinking water and poop in the street. To me, access to clean water is something I appreciate. It does not magically come out of my tap. It is pumped through old, failing infrastructure that requires maintenance and knowledge to operate. Expecting trained and qualified people to ensure you get water and sewer service requires competative compensation. Paul Scuito just left for a better compensation package elsewhere. Nothing is free in this world. Engineers and qualified maintenance workers can get better pay working for private consultants or private utility companies. I am glad I do not live in a town where people dump their bed pans out the door every morning. This was what happened in the country before organized sanitation, I am happy to pay and receive water and sewer service. Thanks STPUD.
eco alarmist,This sounds to me like a S.T.P.U.D. employee. They are already the highest paid people in the Town while the City is laying off and cutting benefits, The district is raising rates and giving raises to the already over paid workers.
Eco alarmist – why don’t you move to New York if you want to pay NY wages? Maybe you retired from some other fat government job & want to support this outrageous salary for your own benefit… but most of the NON-COLLEGE EDUCATED/GRADUATED STPUD labor staff make $40+ per hour. This is ridiculous. If they were professional ENGINEERS with an Engineering Degree, I could see it maybe. This is not the case with STPUD. Your travels through third-world countries has nothing to do with SLT water issues, rates of pay, and gouging our citizens with over-paid employee contracts. Who else in SLT gets $40 per hour for not having a college degree?
Most SLT residents do NOT make that kind of money or are retired. We agree to pay for our FAIR share of infra-structure to live in a non-metropolitan area. I challenge you to provide the information about how many college -degreed Engineers and college-trained maintenance workers are working at STPUD. That is not to say that those workers are not great and deserve a decent salary — but, really…. $40 per hour?
Pay raises, more paid holidays, more paid vacation days. What were those traded for in return? Who if anyone was representing the ratepayers and taxpayers at the 12 negotiating sessions?
If this goes thru, please don’t insult our intelligence by even trying to judtify it! Unless you’re saying that STPUD now has such qualified people, they’ve figured out how to cut our water rates? So we can all have more money in our pockets.
But I guess instead, rates are going up, huh?!
Irish Wahini – I foolishly accept your challenge. I do not work for STPUD.,but I know how to use Google :
Underground sewer repair workers make $19 to $30 per hour, not $40:
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/stpud/default.cfm?action=viewclassspec&classSpecID=86187&agency=1482&viewOnly=yes
Utility workers make $17 to $26 not 40
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/stpud/default.cfm?action=viewclassspec&classSpecID=92973&agency=1482&viewOnly=yes
They are already spending the money that they will get from their “mandated” installation of water meters. Does anyone think that the way the law was written that allows the Keys property owners to avoid water meters is accidental? The largest concentration of lawns in all of Lake Tahoe does NOT have water meters? Seriously? This may also keep any College Bond from passing as well. The proliferation of overpaid government bureaucrats has passed the point of tolerance. We just can’t afford it any more. The game of extortion is coming to an end.
Does the average “Small West Coast Cities All Urban Consumers” have Lake Tahoe in their backyard? This is absurd.
Parker : water rates will never go down. Water conveyance requires pumps pipes and tanks. All this pumping requires lots of electric power. Electricity isn’t free and ain’t getting cheaper. The old pumps and pipes require maintenance, which won’t get cheaper. It’s pretty niave to expect a limited resourse to be provided cheaper when the costs of energy and infrastructure replacement (pipes, concrete, steel., pumps and SCADA systemskeep) going up.
eco – you do realize that the article is about wages and benefits, right? Not about infrastructure maintenance. If, as you suggest, the maintenance is predictably more expensive, then the control of costs for wages should be even more of a priority.
Some of us try our best to conserve water and we are rewarded with higher rates on our water bill, while the employees are rewarded with higher wages. Nice to know where the increases really go. And as for what eco alarmist says, it’s their job to do all those things. When I was employed I was expected to perform my job duties also.
eco alarmist,
In other words STPUD gets a blank from the rate payers. Pay staff whatever you want, cause we’ll just pass along the costs to the rate payers!
If we’re expected to always pay more, then STPUD staff should at least show some semblance of sacrifice on their end!
This has been a good couple months for stpud and it’s employees. I received a letter explaining why my rates are going to go up significantly for maintenance issues and now I read they are all set to recieve a pay increase and more vacation time.
Does anyone know how hard it is to get hired by stpud? Seems like a great job.
eco alarmist: You sound like a spokes person for STUPD, or are you just a blind lib that thinks it’s OK just because STUPD says they need it.
Shocking! Unheard of in today’s economy.
To your point careabout,
Government compensation/pensions is in large part what has caused the problems in the economy, in effect private sector is being enslaved to government elitists. America is now more akin to a fascist nation ruled by corporatist cronies than a free enterprise republic.
Your children will live in a country that does not resemble America nor will it be free.
The education system has created generations of socialists that see government as the source of all solutions.
If you do not see the similarities to a fascism form of socialism in America as defined by this excellent synopsis then you need to wake up and smell the rot.
http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Fascism.html
Decades of warning WAKE UP !
Take your country back now or kiss you booty goodbye..
If you love freedom then leave California.
AMEN, CJMcoy
Well said CJ!
Oh, but wait…..didn’t our rates just skyrocket because of needed infrastructure improvements??? We are being screwed in the worst way. Absolutely absurd, unfortunately we have no say.
Joby, I agree with your take on STPUD. We, the rate paying customers, are getting the dirty end of the stick in this deal. You’re right in that we have no say in this rate increase. Unfortuntlely it’s all too common around here with other utilities as well. OLS
Dear Dumb-
For the record, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Assoc has been installing water meters for years on new houses, and lives by the same legislation as all water systems in California. 2025 is the year by which it needs to be completed.
Are all your other opinions as weakly based as this one?
eco-
Your attempt to make a case that STPUD employees don’t make up to 40 bucks/hr, I think, ignores taxes and other significant costs that all employers must pay. Your costs are basically what the employee gets, NOT representative of the true costs to employers, and therefore also ratepayers.
Testing the water’s for the management massive pay increase after Union negotiations. Noticed there was only 100 out of 112 employees got raise’s, what about the 12, are they overpaid?
There are 25+ staff at STPUD who make over $100,000/year & the GM makes in excess of $200,000. Publicly available at http://publicpay.ca.gov/Reports/SpecialDistricts/SpecialDistrict.aspx?fiscalyear=2012&entityid=2186
Simply disturbing!
When STPUD employees stop threatening people with $500 fines who might have cut their water use around half and have no water running off the property, this might be easier to swallow. Especially since Heavenly claimed about 3 1/2 years ago to have had a record snowfall; and year to date, the city of South Lake Tahoe is at around 75% of normal precipitation,……
The STPUD Board is comprised of the following individuals and can be reached as follows:
James R. Jones, Director – jjones@stpud.dst.ca.us
Randy Vogelgesang, VP – rvogelgesang@stpud.dst.ca.us
Kelly Sheehan, Director – ksheehan@stpud.dst.ca.us
Chris Cefalu, Director – ccefalu@stpud.dst.ca.us
Eric Schafer, President – eschafer@stpud.dst.ca.us
They are meeting on September 4th to approve the employee contract but the remark in the article that “The union this week ratified the contract” makes this sound like a done-deal.
Does anyone know if STPUD is under any type of PUC regulations or are they just left to their own devices to do as they wish?
I voted for Kelly and Chris because I thought they really understood what locals go through financially and how much we feel taken advantage of by STPUD and their likes. If they support this and don’t fight it I will be very disappointed.
Thank you for your observation, observer. However, you chose not to refute anything. Do you actually support the raise for STPUD? Do you think that it is reasonable that the Keys should be able to continue to use water without meters while elsewhere in South Lake Tahoe, we are metered? We are being retrofitted for meters, and that, of course, is what I was referring to. Using silly attacks and distortions of someone’s name does nothing for your credibility. It is almost as bad as “libtards” or “repugs” and sounds very schoolyardish to me. But, to each his own. I don’t believe that I made a weak argument, but if you are looking for something to ridicule, I’m your man. I would prefer real and substantive discourse.
I wish that I could understand the actual point that you were trying to make regarding my comments. Is there some grudge that you have towards me that I am unaware of? Perhaps you could clarify your position for me.
Wow….
http://publicpay.ca.gov/Reports/SpecialDistricts/SpecialDistrict.aspx?fiscalyear=2012&entityid=2186
thanks for the info Appalled.
There is very little one can do going up against a strong union as STPUD’s. Basically why some of the employee’s still have a job other wise would not have a job there. I will never forget that at one time a STPUD employee told me, quote ” If any one from the local community messed with their union, then they (STPUD Union Members) would turn the South Lake Tahoe community drinking water brown” unquote. That was a frighting and extremely alarming comment regarding one of their employee’s mindset. No they don’t deserve a 9% raise, think?
I rest my case
https://www.laketahoenews.net/2012/11/stpud-employees-receive-pay-raise-change-to-health-care/
Read the last line
We vote in November! Lets see how the board votes this week!!!!
Here is a response I received from a SPTUD board member
“We vote on this Thursday at 2PM in the district board room. It would help if you were able to attend and voice your thoughts. Thanks for your input.”
Randy Vogelgesang.
We are stronger in numbers if we attend this absurd 2pm meeting this coming Thursday. This is one of the few chances as a community to stand up to STPUD and to there so called decision makers.
No time for apathy this time around, or they will keep on with this nonsense year after year.
So see you there at 2pm sharp!
So not saying im in support of or against this as I am not a rate payer. I would like to hear from people a numeric value of what they feel the workers of STPUD should make. Im not looking for snide comments or anything like that. I just think someone should express what these services are worth to them since they feel they are too much. Once again not for it or against it and not wanting to start a war but would be curious to see what the people feel these services are worth.
Fireman,
What should fireman be paid? Not trying to start a war but just curious.
I’m self employed I could raise my rates 10%. The result would be loss of customers and my income would decrease.
You as a fireman, a much needed service. As well, STPUD workers can get a 10% increase and what is the cost? Less infrastructure improvement, fewer new hires, less service offered to rate/tax payers. So your question is one that has no simple answer. Raising rates under the guise of infrastructure improvements then turning around a month later and giving raises is just hard to swallow!
Most of yoru fireman start in the range of 37,000 to 42,000 around here it just depends on the area and the cost of living. We must live close to the area we work as part of our contract for emergency responces during disaster. I don’t know if STPUD has the same requirements. As we become higher on ladder pay does increase but you also receive the responsibility and liability of people lifes based on your decisions. IN a way the district is similar. I do not want non skilled people treating my drinking water and making me sick. The main thing is I was just wondering if people felt the job they do is a minimum wage job or like a 15.oo an hour job just to get an idea of what people felt it was worth to them. Like I said before not wanting to create a conflict style chatter but more of a reasonable thought process that would be more productive than just a simple angry no. Could be an enlightening series of posts. After looking at the link for the salary of the districts. It seems to me the upper management is sitting pretty good on the pay scale compared. Hopefully this stays a civil conversation that can bring out ideas
I hope it to be civil, but you didn’t answer the question. What do you think a fireman should be paid? Just curious and not trying to ignite a debate. As with good teachers, cops and firefighters I think pay should be performance based and the best should be payed the most. The salaries you mentioned are low considering cost of living and in fact lower than just about every STPUD employee. I’m not convinced that with a little smaller wage increase, say one that is more in line with the current CPI, that the quality of our water would be sacrificed. As well, STPUD is one of the better employers in town which is a great thing considering we have very few. My point is that they are currently paid well. Fix infrastructure as was promised. When the economy improves so will CPI and wages can go up at the same scale as private sector. Metered vs Non metered is so far out of line that they should do some things to create equitable rate scale on a larger scale before they take up wage increases.
Fireman,
Here’s a couple positions that I’m familiar with:
Chief Financial Officer – Current $164K – I would pay $120K
Grant Coordinator – Current $98K – I would pay $60K
Purchasing Agent – Current $97K – I would pay $65K
Accounting Manager $111K – I would pay $70K
Accounting Supervisor – Current $78K – I would pay $50K
Accounting Clerk – Current $61K – I would pay $45K
Shipping and Receiving Clerk – Current $56K – I would pay $35K
Admin Assistant – Current $54K – I would pay $35K
The positions I’ve listed can all be filled with skilled and competent people in the Tahoe market at the salaries I’ve listed. So there’s over $200K in savings in a single department.
Perhaps the reason that many people are upset about this proposed raise is that our water and sewer rates have gone up, purportedly for infrastructure improvement. This story is a long one, but in the spirit of brevity, we have rates that are raised for maintenance and improvements, but appear to be actually for raises. It is a matter of priority and truth. The STPUD received a huge payment as a result of a lawsuit. The settlement was supposedly for MTBE mitigation, but the District built a Taj Mahal administrative building. Apparently, the tradition of deception continues. Right or wrong, appearances mean a lot.
Further, the story of starting pay is hardly the whole story. I worked for 40 years. The public did not pay into my retirement fund. However, if you are an employee of STPUD, or a fireman, or any number of other public service positions, the public pays for your services, your healthcare and your retirement. Does anyone have a rationale for that? Good pay is wonderful for the employees that receive it, but the burdens of retirement and healthcare are not sustainable.
I not siding with STPUD on this cost of living raise but people must see the whole picture. STPUD does salary surveys to get the median salary for each position. STPUD employees are paid 1.5% below the average salary. Many postions besides engineers are college educated people with degrees. If these employees are not paid at least close to the average salary, we stand the chance of them leaving for greener pastures.
At the very least people send in a disapproval email provided from one of the folks on here.
I’m sure STPUD soft and docile management is hoping for local apathy and no shows so they can push this pay raise right through, these employee’s have not earned it. Maybe a 3% cost of living raise, but not given almost a 10% pay raise. You earn a pay raise through strong work ethic and outstanding work performance. Not given a pay raise because a fat wallet union says so and forces it politically/strong arm it down the board members throat to do so!
PLEASE, EMAIL THESE MEMBERS AND VOICE YOUR SELF LOUD AND CLEAR!
James R. Jones, Director – jjones@stpud.dst.ca.us
Randy Vogelgesang, VP – rvogelgesang@stpud.dst.ca.us
Kelly Sheehan, Director – ksheehan@stpud.dst.ca.us
Chris Cefalu, Director – ccefalu@stpud.dst.ca.us
Eric Schafer, President – eschafer@stpud.dst.ca.us
Rationale,
Not siding but you work there. Leave for greener pastures! There are just as many qualified replacements waiting in line. I have a great deal of respect for many of the employees at STPUD don’t want any to leave but get real they are paid very well. Comparison studies with who? You would be surprised at the areas they compare Tahoe too.
The CPI is 2.3%, the proposed raise is 2% this year, then CPI for another 2 years. So effectively the STPUD employees pay is staying consistent with inflation.
Seems like this is a minimum increase to keep up with the cost of living, not a pay raise.
If the casinos and Heavenly are not keeping pace with inflation, maybe we should unionize…..just sayin
9% over three years is not CPI, do the math. When you are already paid well you shouldn’t get paid more just because. Focus new income stream on infrastructure improvements as was promised!
Maybe you should unionize. Pay a hefty percentage to the union which would result in less take home pay. Then watch how heavenly and the casino’s respond. We already are struggling to keep locals employed! Try the union thing and see what happens….just sayin
Joby, just because someone looks at both sides of an issue does not mean I work or am a fan boy of the district. But some research on your part will help. The proposed contract would give STPUD employees a 6% min. and a 9% max. wage increase over 3 years (2% min. each year). The median CPI for July was 2.2%. A cost of living wage increase to be included in a contract is not unusual. Five years ago, STPUD employees agreed to roll over the existing contract with no wage increase or cost of living. They did this 3 straight years. Last contract the insurance was changed to save the district money at the cost of the employees. I agree that most STPUD employees are well paid and like mentioned before some are over paid but their salaries are at the median level. If you have experience with districts outside the basin, you would realize that we do not have it so bad. Sure there are issues and things are not perfect, but for what has to be done with the treated wastewater (has to be pumped out of the basin) and all of the other unique challenges that come with working in this area, water/sewer rates and district salaries are not that inflated. How come when some of the other utilities raise rates or have wage increases it is not publicized or scrutinized as hard as it is when the district does it?
Rational,
I very much appreciate your “rationale” response and you make great points. My biggest gripe is personal. I pay a very high rate for my metered water, I could remove some lawn but even in winter months my rates are much higher than I believe they should be. Rates were increased, which with the current manner to contest the increase we really don’t stand a chance of stopping the increase. The increase was made clear, primarily for infrastructure improvements. After the filing timeframe was over and the rate increase announced, we are told salaries are going up. Once again a tough thing to swallow. Times are tough n Tahoe and people can’t afford anymore out of pocket. Once again thank you for your rationale response! On a side note all increases are challenged sometimes louder than others, but it really never matters, rates go up.
I haven’t raised MY rates in 15 years. I hate to do it. But every time I turn around, the taxes go up, the utilities go up, the insurance bill goes up, and the groceries go up. What’s a small business supposed to do???
Joby, this is a small salary increase for the workers at STPUD, and they can rightly argue that there has been no rate increase beyond inflation (which they should get). Rather STPUD has changed billing so that permanent residents who use the water pay for water and our second homeowners actually received rate decreases.
Only one problem. Most utilities bill based on relative share of costs. The cost for STPUD isn’t in getting a gallon of water. The cost center in accounting speak is in maintaining the pipes. So your burden on STPUD is actually just about the same as the burden a second homeowner creates. But you pay more. You are subsidizing water for second homeowners.
Why do that then? Very simple, follow the money, there are state grants based on a net decrease in water useage. Tahoe already went through that in the 2000’s when everyone moved away. Now we have a small population that needs to decrease consumption even more….so bill the permanent residents for useage. That will result in a decrease in use, so what if the fire hazard goes up. STPUD gets their grants.
‘What’s a small business supposed to do???’
Jesus Christ woman, there is a such thing as natural inflation.
‘Your children will live in a country that does not resemble America nor will it be free. ‘
America won’t be free? How not? I think you are one of those who wish for the worst so that it fits your perverted world view.
Are you a moron?
‘The education system has created generations of socialists that see government as the source of all solutions. ‘
Yes, you are a moron. Look a the most significant changes in the economy coming from the younger people. AirBnB, Lyft, Uber, Craigslist, EBay, Yelp. All of it is very capitalist. We are younger than you, obviously more educated, and doing more for capitalism than your generation ever did. You are an old school old fool.
And a plagiarist hyper partisan talking points drone.
The worst part is that you probably aren’t even that old but are so out of touch you think like someone who retired in 1995.
Cosa,
I’m not sure exactly what you are saying (I’m a small minded hillbillie). Outside of the personal attack on the blogger I think we finally agree on an issue…bravo
There is no such thing as “natural” inflation. Inflation is caused by governments printing up phony money with nothing to back it up. Basic economics.
Dog: your ignorance of economic principles is astounding. Some politicians have held this view for several years (since 2008) claiming that the monetary policy of the feds will cause hyper-inflation. Guess what, they is wrong. If you say there will be high inflation, and keep saying it, eventually you will be correct (but for all of the wrong reasons), but no inflation remains low and the Ted Cruz’s and Rand Paul’s of the world continue to look stupid.
See this as a start:
http://www.frbsf.org/education/publications/doctor-econ/2002/october/inflation-factors-rise
Rick
Ridonculous…absolutely ridonculous…My buddy got a job there earlier this summer, he said when he walked into his first day,everybody was clapping for him, and congratulating welcoming him to his “retirement”. He has left since then for another job. He said his day consisted of “windshield time”. Traveling back and forth to different wells. He says was the same for everyone else. Lazy people…they will continue to raise rates and hire lazy people doing nothing all day…what a waste of our money. I agree with Concerned Citizen, our emergency responders and teachers are getting pay cuts while these saps are collecting welfare from the citizens of South Lake Tahoe. BOOOOOOOOOOO on STUPID…you should all be ashamed of yourselves
It’s been going since STPUD’s conception, a lot of slackers over there, everyone knows it.
Were the gourmet coffee deliveries to STPUD given up as an offset to the pay raises, more paid holidays, more paid vacation time? What exactly was traded in return for these nice goodies for STPUD employees, all finally agreed upon at the conclusion of the 12 presumably intense negotiation sessions.
https://www.laketahoenews.net/2012/11/stpud-employees-receive-pay-raise-change-to-health-care/
Article dated Nov 19, 2012
Well gee they got their raises, only two two us showed up, which I believed help to get two the members to vote no, just think if of all you spineless whiners on here showed up. Shaffer is leaving TG as he was bought out by the union, I would vote out that Jim Jones for the pompous jerk that he is and also sold out to the union, Plus vote out that Kelly women who sold out to the union.
There’s your news report, good bye ole apathy Lake Tahoe
Facts: We had to work today but thanks for showing up and trust me we will VOTE!!!! Ask Angela.
i have to agree with snoplease.
i have a friend that works there, he says its the best job hes ever had, half the work double the pay!