Combat pay, hero pay, hazard pay. Call it what you want but municipal workers soldiered on under intense circumstances at the height of the Covid pandemic. When things were shut down they stepped up facing dangerous and surreal health and safety risks–police, fire, educators, health care workers, social services and others.
Mayor Joe Ganim and union officials, backed by funds from the American Rescue Plan, are scheduled to roll out an announcement later this week adding premium pay of $1,500 to the checks of more than 1,500 eligible workers in addition to the regular salary.
The premium pay is expected to be included in this week’s check run.
More details to follow after announcement.
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Why not give us the money as a Grant we don’t have to pay back? Half that money will go towards payroll taxes and deductions. Am I wrong?
It’s not a gift or a grant, it is PAY and therefore it should be taxed. Yes, you are wrong and you are not entitled to avoid paying taxes on income (as the rest of the working people do).
But it’s fine for taxpayers to pay for your tenants missed rent?
I did not receive ONE CENT of money from the government for tenants missing rent. My tenants all work and paid their rent on time.
Hope your foot tastes fine.
Joel,
Pay for doing your City job is considered taxable earnings. But what makes for an “essential municipal worker” is a question for which I would like an answer. What frequent duties or periods of exposure publicly determined a generap inclusion as an EMW?
1500 employees, or more, at $1500 per payment works out to $2,250,000. Assuming the funds are from the feds, what is the total of funds so distributed in Bridgeport in grants, paid employment, or other manners? Which department drew up the idea, and who was part of the team that discussed and decided?
A few years ago, when Joe Ganim returned to the Mayor’s office from several years of attempting to make a “vocational adjustment” after seven years in Federal custody, following criminal indictment for corrupt behavior while in government for about 12 years, it was disclosed that despite municipal corruption behavior serving seven years behind bars, and more than a decade of absence from the Mayor’s office, he sought to be sure that he was able to stitch together his first years as Mayor along with the second terms he would win for sake of continuity and benefits to be received in the future. How much was this worth?
How did this get sewed up? What did permission require? Where were the “taxpayers at the table” or was this moved along by David Dunn and friends? What is the expense the public will pay because working oversight is practically absent in this City? Time will tell.