Pay raises are usually incurred when negotiations between employer and employee representatives come to an agreement, in which the employees represented have a vote on whether to accept or deny said agreement.
The agreement includes how much of an increase and when it will take place, usually in steps over a set time period. Never is the sole responsibility of deciding whether or not to approve a pay raise left to the employee.
Increasing the salary does not guarantee a more qualified candidate. Eight of the nine current members of the Honolulu City Council have served less than 2.5 years.
There is nothing that has been accomplished that warrants such an increase in pay. None of them have earned it, nor have city department heads and their deputies.
The rail is billions of dollars over budget, water mains are breaking, police are understaffed, parks are not maintained properly, roadways and highways are lined with overgrown weeds, Department of Planning and Permitting is slower than a dead tortoise. And they deserve a raise?
Eugene Kon
Kaneohe
EXPRESS YOURSELF
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