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Date: 12/15/2022
LUDLOW – The Board of Selectmen met with Ludlow’s Human Resource Director Carrie Ribeiro to update the non-union classification plan to help compensate the necessary employees.
Over the past few months, the Board of Selectmen and Ribeiro have discussed a classification study from Human Resources Consulting Inc. (HRS).
The study was conducted to help the town better classify salaries, compensation and more for non-union employees in town by organizing them in different groups.
Ribeiro said, “Since I have been here, and a good 10 to 12 years before that, these plans have not been looked at. The cost of living has increased and most of these positions are maxed out. It is time to relook at these.”
Her proposed plan for the hourly non-union employees included positions such as maintenance supervisor at the Boys and Girls Club, custodians, office production assistants at cable, librarians and a few more.
“We talked about a 5 percent increase across the board, which would be roughly $17,500. It is very minimal. Some of the increases would not even be a dollar increase on this scale,” Ribeiro added.
The board needed to vote on the proposed hourly increases, hourly classification plan, management classification plan and increases and the new compensation scale.
Board of Selectmen member Derek DeBarge said, “We all agree that positions in this town need to be brought up to a better level then they are at now. We need to start somewhere to address the positions that need it. A 5 percent increase is not substantial for some, but we must get moving.”
The Board of Selectmen approved the proposed non-union classification plan compensation scale and 5 percent increase to the listed non-management positions.
Board of Selectmen Vice Chair James Gennette said that this plan can be amended at any point to adapt to the possible changing of positions.
The board and Riberio continued to discuss the proposed management classification scale and new grades that go along with it.
“Instead of the GL2, GL3, GL4. These are M1 through M8 to make it more organized,” Riberio said.
GL is the current classes that each position is placed in with each class have steps to increase their salary.
The proposed plan would organize those classes and have management or “M” classes one through eight with one being the first class and lowest of the eight salaries.
The Board of Selectmen went position by position to discuss a few changes they would like to make.
Board of Selectmen member Bill Rosenblum said, “I would go with superintendent at the golf course. It is currently listed at a 40-hour job, but I know it is more than that and is year-round. I would like to see that at least M4 to receive a more appropriate salary.”
DeBarge had a similar concern for a couple of different positions.
“Our council on aging director averages 140-170 lunches a day. They sold out for Christmas and Thanksgiving quickly. The Ludlow Senior Center is the busiest place in town, and I would like to see that position go to M5,” DeBarge said.
He added, “Our veterans director dedicates a lot of evenings, weekends and more to do planning to help our local veterans. That position is another that should be upgraded.”
Ribeiro made the Board of Selectmen aware that if they wanted to change a couple of classifications, it will add more steps for those positions to work up towards.
The Board of Selectmen approved the classification grade management plan with the adjustments of the council of aging director and veteran director being moved to an M5.
The next discussion was to determine at which step to put certain positions to give them a pay increase and possibly set them up for future increases.
The Board of Selectmen approved to move some positions around like the golf course superintendent to a M4 starting at Step 4 and the veteran services director and council on aging director to move to M5, Step 2.
They then discussed a few town positions like the town clerk, building commissioner and town planner to decide whether they wanted to keep them in the same pay grade or move them up.
The Board of Selectmen will meet again on Dec. 20 to host a public meeting to discuss fiscal year 2023 tax rate classification.