Plaquemines ferry department captains and engineers, their families and Eastbank residents attended last week’s Plaquemines Parish Council meeting en masse to show support for raises for the positions.

But after approving $2.2 million in raises earlier this year, some council members had a hard time voting for the raise, which did eventually pass.

The council was then hit with two more raise requests and an employee who wanted his job reclassified to a higher position.
These requests are the result of what some called insufficiences in the Archer Study’s plan.

The council spent $65,000 last year to hire the Archer Company, an organization that performs employee evaluations and helps businesses and governments recreate its pay plans and employee classifications, to bring Plaquemines up to a competitive level with neighboring parishes, the state and private businesses.

The Archer Company, named after its President and CEO, Dr. Earnest R. Archer, is based out of South Carolina and has worked with several parishes in the state.

Dr. Archer’s original analysis came back with a much-too-high $5 million price tag. After reworking the numbers, the council felt the budget could handle $2.2 million for the raises.

Employes saw the first increase in early May.

The council knew that the inequities created by the smaller sum would have to eventually be addressed. But as several councilmembers said, and voted, last week, less than two months later was not the right time to make corrections.

Parish employees, like the vocal ferry department, were not content.

“We don’t want constant turn overs,” said Captain Bert Suarez. “We need engineers.”

Councilman Don Beshel, District 1, agreed. “This raise ensures a solid improvement.”

Beshel presented figures to the council. He said the midpoint salary that the parish pays is $56,521 while the state starts at $61,755.

“We’re trying to get close to that,” Beshel said.

Getting close for Beshel means an average of $14,000 raise for each captain and in one case, $18,000.

But getting close for several council members was the Archer Study raises.

“We just passed the Archer Study,” said District 4 Councilman Irvin Juneau. “We gave everyone a raise.”

He admitted that the Archer Study gave some too much and others not enough, but he said he could not vote for another raise less than two months after the Archer raises came into effect.

Juneau, District 3 Councilman Jerry Hodnett, District 5 Councilman Anthony Buras and District 7 Councilman Jay Friedman voted against the ordinance.

Juneau, Hodnett and Buras also voted against another two raises that came before the council.

“What did we pass the Archer Study for?” Hodnett questioned. “We’re opening up a can of worms that we’ll never be able to close.

“I want a refund,” Hodnett announced about the Archer Study.

Parish employees must go before civil service and the council to receive a raise like this, and after a new pay plan such as Archer’s, comes in effect, employees only have 60 days to dispute their new pay, said Civil Service Director William Paradelas.

Parish President Billy Nungesser reported that 62 employees have done just that.

Another parish employee was unhappy at his classification as welder. He wanted a new position to be created— master welder. He argued that if there is a master carpenter position, a master welder position should also be in place.

All three pleads for raises or reconsiderations passed.

And if Hodnett’s fears come true, there will be many more employees coming before the council for raises in the next few weeks.