When you start looking at the salaries in this department, you would think they haven’t been adjusted for inflation since 1988. While the city spends millions each year (of our money) on economic development, job growth and affordable housing projects, for some reason they don’t even notice the wage disparity issue in this department.
Out of the 24 custodians that work for the city, 14 of them don’t even make a living wage. The recent Thrive report estimated that a living wage is around $17-20 per hour in Sioux Falls.
The department also has two managers, they make $59,966 & $68,577 per year.
The total salary expenditure for the department (26 employees) is $949,910
If you just count the 24 custodian’s wages it is $821,367 which comes to an average of $16.45 per hour, under a living wage in Sioux Falls.
Should any of this surprise us? I guess people who clean toilets or mop floors are always looked down on as low skill jobs, but over half of these people are actually maintenance employees that require mechanical skills also. Doesn’t someone who works hard 40 hours a week deserve at least a living wage?
I know that the mayor has bragged in the past that they have saved the city even more money in custodial services by contracting a lot of it out. I can tell you that independent cleaning contractors probably pay even less at around $10-12 an hour.
This is where Huether’s corporate culture kicks in. He pays most of his directors well over 6 figures a year, and while their jobs may be more important than cleaning toilets, they still seem to find time to leave before 5 PM to drink beers, or patrol neighborhoods for unsecured wireless so they can download kiddie porn.
Would it really break us if we paid every full-time custodian/maintenance worker with the city AT LEAST $17 an hour? I don’t think so. It seems kind of hypocritical of the current city administration to be throwing millions at local foundations for job growth when we can’t even pay someone a living wage to scrub a toilet.
These are the kind of things that happen when you run a city with a ‘business acumen’. Management lives high on the hog while the minions starve.
Here is the full doc: 2017-Wages
Huetherism at its finest. He’s the type that doesn’t leave a tip but builds himself half million dollar private indoor tennis courts with public money.
Have you made the Council aware of these disparities you’ve found? Are they working to correct this?
Unfortunately city salaries falls under the executive branch under the city charter and the council doesn’t have any power over it except for their staff.
It’s far too easy for the council to say “that’s not our job” or “there’s nothing we can do about that”. Too many ethics problems have been ignored, not just smaller problems like wage disparities.
Government systems in the U.S. are supposed to be about checks and balances, whereas Sioux Falls has become a dictatorship.
The council can keep pretending they matter by rubber stamping permits each week and the mayor’s budget every year.
Most are there because they are mayor wannabes and want their chance at being dictator, the very few over the years that try to represent the people get threatened and silenced.
Agree with Sheeple! Strong Mayor Charter has destroyed city government. Within city limits is ‘Putin-like’. It’s one small mans’ ego supported by wealth and persecution. Twelve more months until there’s resurrection.