Governor Leon Guerrero is Investing in Working People

Investing in people, not squandering public resources for private profit, is what this pay raise for government workers is all about.

As mentioned in my previous post, Senator Chris Duenas has claimed that he is standing up for resources to fix our public schools. However, that is just for the press. As we know, Senator Chris Duenas and the other Republicans are committed to cutting Business Privilege Taxes for only the richest corporations and businesses on Guam. But even if we take him at his word… not paying competitive wages to GovGuam workers means GovGuam can’t attract and retain the maintenance workers, such as plumbers and electricians, that can ensure public schools remain in good condition. Officials from GDOE raised this point before Chris Duenas began discussing his excuse for not paying GovGuam workers competitively.

Of course the schools need more resources for maintenance. GDOE has catalogued the deferred maintenance that is needed for our public schools. There is over $100 million that is needed. Do we really expect rank and file government employees to effectively pay the cost of repairs to public schools?

Keep in mind that since the last pay raise in 2014, the cost of living has risen substantially, especially during the 7.8% spike in prices caused by a combination of supply chain challenges, the covid pandemic and profit-gouging by large corporations. Are GovGuam workers expected to bear the extra costs of living plus be saddled with the costs of repairing public schools by being denied a routine increase in their compensation? Uncompetitive wages in GovGuam have already strained efforts to recruit and retain workers.

And what really stands behind these efforts by Senator Duenas and the other Republican senators to deny routine wage increases when the Government of Guam has the means to pay higher wages? It’s quite simple: tax cuts for the richest businesses on Guam. Over 85% of Guam businesses face the lowest tax rates in 50 years! The Democratic Guam Legislature and Governor Leon Guerrero lowered tax rates for over 85% of businesses (the ones with the lowest revenues) from 5% to 3%! The Republican senators, however, prioritize only the highest income businesses, so they want to deny increases in pay to GovGuam workers and/or revive the threats of payless paydays which were faced in the failed Republican Camacho and Calvo administrations, both of which savaged public finances and left the government with tens or hundreds of millions in cash deficits.

The working people of Guam are not ignorant. They see through the machinations of Chris Duenas and his ilk to serve the few at the cost of the many. Working people in the public and private sectors both need a raise!