Should Norwich city employees get hero pay? This isn't the first time unions have asked.

NORWICH — Through the pandemic, many in Norwich kept on working their jobs, adapting as they had to.

Some, including Norwich Youth and Family Services Program Coordinator Kate Milde, say city employees should be compensated for the challenging time.

“We see that local towns are stepping up to the plate, and rewarding people that were there, making sure things functioned during the pandemic,” Milde said.

Milde, who is also the president of AFSCME Local 2422, said she is seeking $3,000 in hero pay for each of her union members, during a June public hearing about spending Norwich's share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Milde said she can only speak for her union, but would endorse this request for any of the city’s unions.

The request comes as the union’s contract expired on July 1, and the city and the union have yet to enter negotiations for a new one. Though union members are expected to get 2.5% raises, Milde said it’s outpaced by inflation.

Most of her workers had already been in their jobs when the pandemic started, she said, and to fill the need, many performed tasks outside of their job title “which the union frowned upon, but we made sure services were still provided to members of the city.”

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Milde reasoned that a cut of bonuses from the American Rescue Plan Act funds wouldn’t be that much relative to the total of $10.8 million out of $14.4 million in the second round of ARPA funds spent. Her union has about 50 employees, so she wouldn’t expect her request to cost more than $200,000.

“We’re asking them to do right by the existing employees,” Milde said.

Did Norwich firefighters, police or public utility workers receive hero pay?

Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Montoya said there hasn’t been any hero pay or any sort of premium pay for the firefighters during the pandemic, but said the firefighter’s union has brought up the subject informally.

Chris Riley, director of communications for Norwich Public Utilities, said workers haven’t received any sort of bonus during the pandemic, but there hadn’t been a request either.

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Stephen DeLoreto, police officer and president of UPSEU Norwich Police Local 104, had requested hero pay from City Manager John Salomone back in the spring of 2021. DeLoreto said his request was declined, as Salomone told him he’d have to give every union worker the additional money.

“We never stopped,” DeLoreto said. “We never worked from home.”

How does Norwich plan to use ARPA funds?

This comes as the city will decide whether to fund multiple new positions, costing about $1 million, through ARPA money for 18 months. Milde wouldn’t turn down new hires, but said the public has been concerned about how the city pays for the new hires once ARPA runs out.

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Salomone said Thursday he didn’t include hero pay in his recommendations to city council, the council didn’t recommend it, and it’s not listed on resolution #3 for the July 5 meeting.

“I had other things that I budgeted, so I’ll let it speak for that,” Salomone said.

Salomone said a majority of Connecticut municipalities haven’t passed any hero pay, “so we’re not an anomaly at all.”

Milde also brought up that one City Clerk’s office position that had been promised as a part of the 2022-2023 general fund budget in a resolution passed Dec. 20 was going to be funded by the ARPA money instead.

“My members are having to do an extra heavy workload because there’s a position they were promised that is non-existent currently,” Milde said.

Salomone said there is no issue funding the position with ARPA money.

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“It’ll be covered for a year and a half, and next year’s budget, fiscal ‘24, it’ll be proposed in there for permanent consideration by the council,” Salomone said.

As of Tuesday, the last thing Milde heard about hero pay was that Alderman Derrell Wilson contacted her, saying he was considering it. Milde is hoping it comes to fruition.

“We did our best, ” Milde said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich city employee union asks for hero pay