CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox wants to put maintenance workers with the state Division of Highways on a 20-year career path providing pay increases along the way.
Mattox told MetroNews recently that he’s been reviewing an internal draft report on a possible pay system that would increase pay for years of service and training. Mattox said he wants the next generation of DOH maintenance workers to have a more defined career path.
“So if they get additional training and they get more experience they would automatically be able to increase their compensation,” Mattox said. “The whole goal is to go from entry level salary to the top paid of the Civil Service category in their classification by the time they end a 20-year carer with us.”
The transportation secretary said the DOH has been very fortunate to have very loyal maintenance workers with years and years of service. He says unfortunately the pay increases have been few and far between.
Mattox said the plan would have to be approved by the state Division of Personnel. He said he believes the DOH could come up with money to fund the increases.
“We would work within our current budget to fund it. We are always looking for efficiencies. It would be nice as we find some of these efficiencies we would be able to invest them back into our staff,” Mattox said.
The plan for a more defined career path has been compared to a similar plan that’s in effect in the West Virginia Parkways Authority. Mattox had a meeting in August with representatives of UE Local 170. The employee group has been complaining for years about the low pay for DOH workers who have worked for the state for many years.
UE Local 170 delivered a petition signed by more than 1,000 DOH workers.