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Highway staff urge board to address pay and workplace dangers
Summary
Highway Department staff and AFSCME representatives told the DeWitt County Board workers face hazardous conditions and are paid below the state average; leaders asked the board to meet employees, consider contract terms and improve retention.
Highway Department employees and a union representative told the DeWitt County Board on Nov. 21 that road crews perform critical, hazardous work—often at night and in severe weather—and that current pay makes it difficult for staff to support families and do the job safely. Christina De Angelo of AFSCME Council 31 said the department has been reorganized with new hires and emphasized the essential public-safety role of snow and ice removal.
Rob Wickenhauser, who identified himself as a highway employee, said the department "is $15 under the State average," adding he was not asking for that full increase "but a wage they can live on and support their families and do it safely." Tim Stanley, the foreman, described his two years of efforts to improve the operation and asked that crew members feel valued. The speakers also raised specific safety incidents, including a near-miss earlier the same day when "an employee was almost hit by a Mack truck," and noted employees must maintain CDLs and pesticide licenses.
Board members thanked the delegation. The discussion produced no immediate pay action, but the board heard a request to meet with Highway staff and to consider those concerns in upcoming budget and contract deliberations.
