A recent report by the Albuquerque Office of the Inspector General (OIG) highlights disparities and issues in the city’s employment and time-off policies, focusing on two investigations.
Disparity in Pay and Benefits
The first investigation reveals a significant pay disparity between two employees with the same job title, attributed to their classifications. One employee, classified and guaranteed benefits from the city’s merit system, earned less than the unclassified, “at-will” employee, who received multiple raises and additional leave benefits valued at around $12,000. The unclassified employee received six raises within 21 months, including a notable 12% raise from $55.65 to $62.50 per hour in October 2022, and adjustments to their sick and vacation times. These benefits and raises were not consistently applied to similarly titled employees, raising concerns about fairness and transparency.
Administration’s Response
The administration defended the discrepancies, citing a longstanding practice of negotiating vacation and sick leave. They emphasized the need to retain talent, which sometimes involved adjusting pay and benefits for “critical” employees, although the report noted that these practices should apply consistently across all employees.
Second Investigation: Additional Sick Time for Departing Employees
The second investigation focused on allegations that 11 employees, upon giving notice, received additional sick time beyond standard city policy. Some of these adjustments were part of settlement agreements in response to employee claims. About half of these cases were found to be within policy, while others involved significant sick leave usage shortly before resignation, costing the city thousands of dollars.
Recommendations and Changes
The OIG recommended the city ensure consistent application of policies and calculate the additional costs incurred from these irregular benefits. Previous audits had already highlighted issues with unclassified employees receiving unjustified raises. The city has since implemented changes to require written justification and approval for raises and to prevent unclassified positions from having higher pay than classified ones with similar duties.
For more detailed information, you can access the full report here.