Nearly 60 Buncombe employees left out of wage increases

Buncombe County made headlines May 19 after its Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to increase the minimum wage for all full- and part-time government workers to $17 per hour. The move boosted salaries for 649 employees and was touted as crucial in keeping workers afloat amid the rising cost of living. But nearly 60 county employees will continue to make less than $17 per hour due to how their positions are classified.

Positions excluded from the new pay policy, says Buncombe County spokesperson Kassi Day, include temporary and grant-funded workers who are considered time-limited. As of June 2, the county has 123 such employees, 57 of whom are paid less than $17 per hour.

Despite their time-limited classification, some of the county’s so-called temporary workers have been employed with the county for years. Day says the longest-serving temporary employee has been with Buncombe since 1993. Buncombe County Public Libraries is the biggest employer of temps with 40 positions, followed by Emergency Services with 31.

One employee, who tells Xpress that they have consistently worked 15 hours per week with the library system since 2017, says they received one cost-of-living raise before their job was reclassified as temporary without explanation in August 2018. The employee started at $7.50 per hour, now makes $11 per hour, and was told they were not eligible for the $17 minimum wage based on their position’s temporary classification.

“My take-home pay for working in the library a month is $572,” says the employee, to whom Xpress is granting anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the media. “My problem isn’t the job; my problem is that I’m not being treated the same way as any of the other staff. It was a shock for me to hear that everybody was getting a raise. I don’t know why we’re excluded.”

Asked why county temp workers were left out of the pay policy, Day says the recent increases were based on a salary study that only reviewed regular positions. The county does “not have a report readily available,” she adds, regarding the budgetary impact of raising all current temporary workers to a $17 hourly minimum wage.

“Human Resources is working on a specific temporary employment policy to address the length of employment for a temporary employee,” Day continues. “This policy is scheduled to be completed this summer and would set specific intentions and time limits for temporary employees.” — Brooke Randle