On my way to my first Knox County Employee Insurance Benefits Committee meeting. I was asked by several county employees to serve on this board, and I am grateful to my Commission colleagues for appointing me. This is a new appointment for me, so I know I will have a steep learning curve, but I am looking forward to it. I feel that our county employees are not treated as fairly as they should be - costs continue to rise, yet their wages remain stagnant. I dont understand why some people believe that those in public service should be underpaid, simply because they are government workers. Those in higher positions and offices have very good salaries, yet the worker bees who do the hardest work and interact the most with the public are in many cases paid sub-standard wages. I dont believe those in public service should be overpaid, but neither should they be expected to live on poverty wages. We have many, many employees who qualify for SNAP (food stamps). Many of the public also seem to believe that county employees should be satisfied with a non-living wage, yet those same members of the public expect exceptional, efficient service with a smile when they come in to do business with the county. It is very frustrating for me - every week I see how hard our employees work, and I know how little so many of them are paid. I vow to do my absolute best to see that all county employees receive a fair deal on their benefits, and I wont stop pushing for a living wage for each and every one of them!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 21:00:22 +0000