Naperville OKs raises for nonunion employees

Naperville’s 330 nonunion employees are now eligible for their first wage increase since 2009.

Council members Tuesday approved a plan to create a 2 percent merit compensation pool effective May 1.

City Manager Doug Krieger said $760,000 is included in the fiscal 2012 budget as a result of several financial indicators the city has been monitoring.

Sales tax revenue received last month, based on December 2010 receipts, was higher than any month in the past three years. January unemployment numbers were the lowest since March 2009, and building permit revenues are up 22 percent over this time last year.

“I would like to thank the nonunion employees who did incur this for two years even with the increase of the hospitalization,” Councilman Doug Krause said. “They really stepped up to the plate and helped us through a tough situation. I just wish the rest of the (union) employees would have done the same thing.”

Nonunion employees have not received a wage increase in two years and have been paying 15 percent of health insurance premiums. Union employees received negotiated raises in both 2009 and 2010.

Each of the city’s department heads will be given 2 percent of their nonunion salary budget to distribute to their employees based on merit.

Outgoing Councilman Dick Furstenau voted against creating the merit pool for two reasons.

“I voted no because I believe everyone should take zero (percent increases) for three years in a row,” he said. “I also didn’t support it because it’s based upon merit, which means a number of people will get zero while others get something.”