Hopewell city manager responds to social-media criticism on collective bargaining
HOPEWELL – Ahead of a public hearing Tuesday night on the possibility of collective bargaining for public-safety personnel and city workers coming to town, the city manager is clapping back against social-media criticism that she was trying to persuade City Council to vote it down.
In comments to The Progress-Index, Dr. Concetta Manker said the Facebook comments were instilling “hate, fear, and confusion” that she did not support police officers getting paid better for their jobs. Manker called herself “a proud supporter of our public safety employees” and noted that since she took over as Hopewell’s chief administrator, she has pushed council to channel $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, approve a raise in the entry-level salary wage and install a 5% step-pay increase for police.
“A lot of strides have been taken to support the police department during my time as interim city manager,” said Manker, who was appointed to the job in July after holding it on an interim basis. “As city manager, conversations continue around recruitment, retentions and steps to remain competitive with other localities.”
At the first of two public hearings on the matter, proponents told councilors that collective bargaining was needed in Hopewell to slow the flow of police officers going elsewhere because the pay there was better. Hopewell has a sworn-officer payroll of 68, but 15 of those positions were open as of the last council meeting, and the secretary of the city’s Police Benevolent Association chapter said then that more were on the way.
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Manker said she has not spoken to anyone in public about collective bargaining, and because of that, she added she did not know why the criticisms were circulating. She also said that if citizens wanted to talk about the issue with her, “my office is always open.”
“My public safety support track record over the past 14 months speaks for itself, and any other narrative is alternative news designed to instill hate, fear, and confusion in our community,” Manker said.
In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly approved the allowance of collective bargaining in municipal government.
Proponents say that allowing collective bargaining increases communication between city workers and city administration, and is a proactive strategy for addressing issues before they become official grievances. They said the city will always have the last word on how issues are resolved and that none of the city’s authority will be lost because of collective bargaining.
If approved by council, Hopewell would be the first locality in the Tri-City area to collectively bargain with its workers.
Manker said collective bargaining “has ushered a new direction” of city government.
“Collective bargaining is an exciting concept for all city employees because now they have the freedom to organize and negotiate anything from workplace conditions to pay,” she said.
City Council will meet in closed session beginning at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at the Municipal Building. The regularly scheduled meeting in which the public hearing is scheduled will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell council will vote on collective bargaining Tuesday
