Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

A concerned city employee recently told The Monroe Dispatch that the city of Monroe front-line workers, the ones that do the “dirty work” are not appreciated by those who give the orders. They are, for lack of better words, “treated like garbage” on a daily basis. The city workers, like those who ride the garbage trucks or those who pick up the trash and work with sewerage and water, don’t have the luxury of working in air-conditioned offices. They are literally “on the front lines” engaging with the public who see them daily and see how hard their work can be; the extreme conditions of working outside in the heat is one thing, but showing a lack of respect for what they do has many of them angry. City Hall has had issues with its employees during all administrations. Still, The Monroe Dispatch was told that many city of Monroe employees are treated as if they were “kids”, saying if they didn’t like things as they are, then “go somewhere else” to work. There is hardly anyone who will listen to them from management when they speak out. Even those who will speak out do it cautiously for fear of retaliation from their superiors. The main issue is and always will be about a “decent or livable” wage that can sustain an employee without having to work two or three jobs to make ends meet, said the concerned city worker. There was a mention of “COVID money” that was supposed to go to city employees because of the pandemic who were on the front lines in the form of “bonuses”, or so it was thought. Instead, that money allegedly went to “infrastructure expenditures”, not to those who were expecting a little something for being on the front lines during a tough time for the city of Monroe and the nation. The city employees said their concerns had been brought to the administration numerous times for a pay increase. Though a raise was issued several years ago, they say it is insufficient to keep up with the cost of living. Bring in outside workers who they say “make more” than they do, even though overtime when it is there helps some. The employee said that if the next mayor will enjoy a 45% increase in the current mayor’s salary, something should be done for them. But for now, it is about being treated like they are someone because so many people do not know what goes on behind the scenes.

“Having respect and treating us as if they cared would go a long way for morale,,” the employee said.

Photo City Workers work hard for less $$$.