TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
While it's not much, it appears Tucson city workers will be getting their first pay raise in five years.
A 1% raise was tentatively approved by the Tucson city council, after some wrangling over who should get how much.
Ward VI council member Steve Kozachik was the lone voice against the raise for everyone.
He felt there should be a cut off at $100,000 annual salary.
People above that get no raise, people below that share in a $2.3 pot of cash. That means people on the lower end of the scale get more.
But the city voted 6-1 to make the raise across the board.
Kozachik says his proposal would have included police officers below the command level which means lower ranked officers would have gotten a bigger pay raise than 1%.
"Tell me whose sufferer ed more in the economy," Kozachik says. "Someone who is earning a $150,000 salary who gets a $15,000 pay raise or someone making $30,000 who gets $300."
The council has approved the tentative budget of $1.2 billion.
The city also voted to end the furloughs which brings them back up to their wage levels they were at three years ago.
But at least this year, they are not moving backwards.
"We're moving in the right direction," says Michael Coiro, executive director of AFSME local 449.
While Coiro says the 1% raise will amount to only about $30 dollars a month (the average salary is about $32,000) in the past few years the workers have felt a lot of pain.
"You'll never get the money back that you lost in furloughs," he says. "We got beat up."
So have all the departments to a certain extent.
Critics say the Tucson Police Department has not fared as badly as other departments.
"I don't have an answer that's going to make them happy because I support my people," says Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor.
A federal grant to hire officers helped. No layoffs although there has been a falloff of officers because of attrition.
But the mission means there may be a more favorable attitude towards police and fire.
"One of the highest things a government can provide to the community is public safety," Villasenor says.
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