RVC-wide pay freeze irks crossing guards

Rockville Centre crossing guards have recently learned that a village-wide wage freeze means that some of them won’t get the raises they originally had planned on.

The village’s crossing guards were formerly paid according to a tiered raise system. A first-year crossing guard made $13.72 per hour, according to minutes from a June 2015 Village Board of Trustees meeting. Each year after that, they received a raise of a little over a dollar per hour, until ultimately settling in the top tier at $19.80 after their fifth year.

But this year, several crossing guards learned that they would be stuck at their current pay rate until further notice. Some found out when their employment “anniversary” arrived, and their pay stubs didn’t change. Others were told about the freeze by Police Commissioner Charles Gennario at a crossing guard training session.

“I don’t recall how he introduced it,” Rita, a fourth-tier crossing guard who declined to use her real name, said. “He just said all the steps were frozen.”

Chris, a third-tier guard, who also insisted on using a false name, said, “There was no official word about why they put the freeze on.”

“The Village has committed to our residents that we will not increase taxes by more than 2%,” Village spokeswoman Julie Scully told the Herald in an email. “Employee-related expenses, including payroll and benefits, are by far our greatest cost, and we are trying to strike a delicate balance. No other part-time employee in the village is being given a raise right now, and we cannot allow for some to get an increase at the expense of the others.”

The village’s parking meter attendants are paid according to a similar tiered system, with wages from $12.19 per hour to start, rising to $16.92 over nine years.

According to the crossing guards, most of their 19 peers are already in the top tier, and only six or seven were eligible for raises. “How much money are they really saving with this?” Chris said, adding that the village could afford the raises. “…Rockville Centre’s a ritzy place. You can’t tell me they don’t have the money here.”

“I guess they’re pinching every penny,” Rita noted. “I don’t know how long [the freeze is] going to last. I’m just hanging in there right now.”

Both Chris and Rita explained that they enjoy what they do for a living. Chris carries around a bag of treats to give to dogs on their walks, and around Halloween, he has a bag of candy for children to choose from. “I like what I’m doing,” he said adding, “We all do… except when it’s raining.”

Rita said that even though she enjoys her work, she wants the raise that she claimed was promised to her when she signed on, adding that the job has risks. “The drivers here are crazy,” she said. “They don’t always abide by your directions. They just want to get where they’re going. A while back, I almost got hit myself.”

She added that she has a good relationship with the parents of the children she crosses. “At Christmas, and at they end of the year, they give me gifts,” Rita explained. “They’re very good to me.”

Scully said: “We recognize that crossing guards provide a vital service to our village and we appreciate the care and professionalism they bring to the job. We will continue to work with them where possible but we still need to be fair to all employees and be sensitive to the finances of our residents.”