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Wednesday, October 29, 1997
MHMR handing out raises and pink slips at almost the same
time
AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
is handing out pay raises far above the amount required by the Legislature.
But at the same time some MHMR employees are getting layoff notices.
The Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday that 30 employees were
getting raises far above the $100-a-month hike approved by the Legislature
for most state workers.
Those raises range from $229 to $858 a month, the newspaper reported.
The 30 employees who will be losing their jobs are being let go because
the 600-employee Austin headquarters is downsizing.
"Morale is terrible. We can't comprehend that some people are getting
high raises and some people will have no jobs," said one worker who
requested anonymity because of fear of being chosen for the layoff list.
"If we're short on money, we're short on money, and everybody ought
to take an equal hit."
Many state agencies are squeezing their payrolls to comply with a Sept.
1 cap on the number of state workers. The mental health department and a
few other agencies are using layoffs to meet the legislative mandate.
The newspaper said the mental health department is the only state agency
that is handing out large pay raises in the face of layoffs.
In addition to the 30 headquarters workers expected to be laid off, the
agency is laying off 165 workers at state institutions for people with mental
retardation.
Announcements about the job cuts were made after the institutions' superintendents
and their top assistants got large pay raises. The superintendents got $439
monthly pay raises, boosting their annual salaries to $79,896.
The Texas Department of Human Services plans to lay off as many as 266
employees. But the agency is making do with the $100-a-month raise approved
by the Legislature, according to spokeswoman Sherron Heinemann.
At the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, 23 workers this
summer were told their jobs would be eliminated, but 22 found jobs within
the agency, commission spokesman Terry Hadley said. Then, after Sept. 1,
the commission granted 80 promotions and merit raises of up to 6.8 percent.
MHMR's decision to hand out raises and pink slips almost simultaneously
was defended by Karen Hale, assistant mental health commissioner.
She said the agency will try to find jobs for laid-off workers, but the
supervisors need to be better compensated for their growing responsibilities
in a shrinking agency.
"We need to make sure we're paying people what they're worth,"
she said.
The agency's budget was increased by $54 million this year, but most
of the additional money is for building renovations and community homes
for people with mental retardation.
MHMR Commissioner Don Gilbert received a $40,000-a-year raise, the largest
pay raise among state employees. He now makes $135,000 annually, but is
set to lose his free housing. Ms. Hale's pay was increased to $85,000 from
$78,606.
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