Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, who's running for re-election, sharply criticized Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr for doling out 5% raises to the mayor, city council and other non-union workers.
He says it sends the wrong message at a time the city is struggling and wrestling with bankruptcy.
“We’re still in the middle of bankruptcy, we still don’t know what the cost is going to be, and it seems like the attorney fees, right now, have gone up to $75 million,” Ficano said live on WWJ 950 Wednesday morning.
He said city officials should reject the raises.
“The answer should be not just ‘no,’ the answer should be ‘hell, no,” Ficano said. “We are still in the middle of the bankruptcy, I think it’s poor judgement to announce this right after closing deadline for the ballots to be back on the retirees.”
WWJ reports that Orr's office says the raises are covered in the city's restructuring plan.
Orr’s spokesman Bill Nowling told WWJ via email:
“This is the same deal for non-union employees as the union employees got in their CBAs — 5 percent. All employees must now contribute 6 percent to their pension, so, technically, it’s not a pay increase.
“It is part of a restoration of the 10 percent cut all employees took in 2012.”