City HR Gets Bonuses During Budget Shortfall?
Bill Roland, president of AFSCME Local 1180, the union that represents many City of Tulsa employees, has filed a freedom of information act request to release city records in an attempt to find out when and why approximately 12 members of the city’s human resources department each received a $2,500 bonus. This comes at a time when the city is crunching numbers in an attempt to counter severe general fund budget shortfalls.
I called Mr. Roland and spoke with him about this issue. He tells me that Jeff Wilkie, the city’s interim HR director, verbally confirmed to him that 12 human resources employees did, indeed, receive $2,500 “stipends” – allegedly for their “superb” participation in a certain training program conducted by the city for city employees. This verbal confirmation occurred about 2 weeks ago from the date of this post.
Mr. Wilkie notified Mr. Roland that he will comply to the FIA request in the form of a written statement, which has yet to be received.
While $30,000 may not seem like a lot when compared to the entire budget, I would consider it not a very good idea – at least for the sake of appearances – to be passing out extra money when there is reportedly no extra money to be had.
Updates will be posted as they are received.
This doesn’t surprise me. People in administrative positions are often convinced that they’re in a separate class from other employees, that they are almost impossible to replace, so they have to get special perks and benefits and bonuses to ensure retention. Whereas you can just pick up technicians and drivers and nurses and so forth up off the streets for a dime a dozen. At least that’s their thinking as it appears to me. They don’t think they’re doing anything wrong; they’ve convinced themselves that they don’t have any choice.
It has long been known that HR plays by its own rules. A PW section manager once declined to stick up for me in an HR matter because, he said, “Sooner or later everyone wants something from HR. And they hold grudges forever.”
I’m not surprised by the stipend. They undoubtedly think it money well spent.