Durham City Council Approves Bonuses; City Workers Call It A Partial Victory

DURHAM, NC – Durham City Council voted to award all city workers with bonuses during Thursday’s (Oct. 5) work session. Although it was not the outcome sanitation workers hoped for, they called it a partial victory.

The highest bonus of $5,000 will go to workers earning less than $42,480 annually. The lowest bonus of $500 will go to workers who earn more than $106,211. All part-time workers will receive $1,000 bonuses.

According to city council members, these bonuses will cost the city $6.5 million, and they will come from carryover funds from this year’s budget.

Sanitation worker George Bacote’s transparency left the audience in awe.

“It’s a handful of workers who are homeless living in hotels with their wives and children,” Bacote said. “I’m going to say it because nobody else wants to say it.”

The fight for better compensation continued within the city council chambers Thursday. Firefighters weighed in, too.

“One thing that drives people to leave any employer is morale,” one firefighter stated. “If we make a decision that will further decimate morale, you can’t pay people enough to stay.”

The city’s budget department presented three bonus options based on the area’s median income, but there were questions about that.

“Average median income,” questioned one resident. “What does that have to do with the cost of living? They’re not tied.”

The city council typically doesn’t vote during work sessions, but the rules were suspended to move the bonuses along.

After the meeting, city workers held a news conference with hopes that the city would eventually be able to pay $5,000 bonuses to all workers.

“We, as of now, call this a victory, but the fight is not over,” said John Burwell, UE150 Union Steward.

Although city council members are considered city workers, they will not receive this bonus because they decided to go exempt.

Mayor Elaine O’Neal made a commitment to all city workers for the remainder of her term.

“I will not give up on your ask,” she said.

This article first appeared on ABC11.com