Some Stanislaus city workers got thousands in pandemic hazard pay. Who got what — and how much?
Stanislaus County cities have distributed millions of dollars to government employees who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The federal funds could be used to replace lost revenue; to respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts; to invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure; or to provide essential workers with premium pay, a type of hazard pay.
Just about every city employee was eligible to receive premium pay. The Department of Treasury said the pay was “designed to compensate workers that, by virtue of their employment, were forced to take on additional burdens and make great personal sacrifices as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic.”
Several cities here took the stance that everyone, regardless whether they worked directly with the public and faced more exposure to the virus or worked in an office, were essential workers and should be compensated the same. A few cities even approved the pay for its highest earners, the city manager and department heads.
Some cities didn’t or haven’t used the ARPA funds for premium pay at all. Others paid out thousands to each employee. Most of the time the pay was negotiated as part of a labor agreement.
The Modesto City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve as much as $7,500 in premium pay for employees who worked during the pandemic, from the city manager all the way down to its lower wage workers.
Most other cities already have approved and distributed the funds.
Here is a breakdown of how each city and the county approached the premium pay clause in the American Rescue Plan Act.
OAKDALE
The City of Oakdale paid about 80 employees $10,000 in two installments, half in 2021 and the other half in 2022. This accounted for $800,000 of the $5.6 million it received in ARPA funds. The city manager, finance director, police chief and public services director did not receive premium pay. The City Council approved the decision in August 2021 after bargaining with labor units in May and June. City Manager Bryan Whitemyer said no Oakdale employees worked from home during the pandemic.
“Since we are a small organization and are spread very thin every employee was deemed essential,” Whitemyer said. “Huge efforts were made to retrofit our offices and work spaces to make them safe for employees to return to work.
“Extraordinary efforts were made by all City of Oakdale employees to continue to serve the Oakdale community during the stressful times of the pandemic. In many locations City services declined significantly. In Oakdale due to the heroic efforts of our staff, that was not the case.”
RIVERBANK
Forty-three Riverbank employees received premium pay after negotiations with two labor groups in 2022. The Riverbank Mid Management Employee Association employees received a one-time lump sum amount of $8,500 while members of the Riverbank Miscellaneous Employees Bargaining Unit, who typically earn less, received $7,500. The director of parks & recreation, director of public works, assistant city manager and city manager did not receive premium pay. The city received a total of $5.9 million in ARPA funds.
CERES
Ceres received $11.6 million in ARPA funds and gave $5,000 to $10,000 to nearly all of its 150 employees. Ceres paid them based on the date they were hired. Those hired on or before March 1, 2020, received $10,000 and those hired on or before Nov. 8, 2021, got $5,000, according to contracts from the city’s labor groups. The city spent about $1.3 million on premium pay. City Manager Alex Terrazas said he did not receive the pay. He didn’t know whether other department heads did and said he could not provide that information by The Bee’s deadline.
HUGHSON
Employees received a maximum of two $5,000 payments, the first in October 2021 and the second in July 2022 for working during the pandemic. The city made $10,000 payments to 10 employees and partial payments ranging from $1,333 to $5,625 to five employees. City Manager Merry Mayhew said she and the city’s two department heads did not request and did not receive premium pay.
WATERFORD
The city allocated $15,000 in premium pay to all full-time employees who worked during the pandemic. The first payment of $7,500 was in September 2021 and the second payment of $7,500 was in August 2022. City Manager Mike Pitcock was among the employees who received $15,000. Part time employees received a prorated amount. Contract employees, including the city attorney, engineer and planner, did not receive premium pay.
NEWMAN
City Manager Michael Holland said Newman did not provide its employees with premium pay.
TURLOCK
Finance Director Isaac Moreno said Turlock has not provided its employees with premium pay. The city has committed and or spent $13.1 million of its $15.75 million in ARPA funding. When asked whether the City Council has discussed using the balance for premium pay, Moreno said: “… We currently have no direction from Council on how to utilize the remaining funds.”
PATTERSON
City Manager Ken Irwin said the city’s firefighters were paid $7,500 while the rest of the city’s employees, including the city manager and department heads, received $2,000 each. The payments were made before this year.
STANISLAUS COUNTY
Stanislaus County did not provide ARPA premium pay to its employees but gave pay incentives using mostly general fund revenue, said spokesperson Sonya Severo. From April to June 2020 it gave all full-time employees except department heads 5% Supplemental Pay. In June 2021 it gave employees one-time “COVID-19 Recovery” payments based on years of service. Employees received payments from $750 to $2,250. And last year the board approved recruitment and retention bonuses of $5,000 to $10,000, citing a vacancy rate that increased during the pandemic.
This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
