Duluth Utility Workers Rack Up Lots Of Overtime
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- Utility workers are racking up huge amounts of overtime as they scramble to hold together Duluth's faltering infrastructure.
The Duluth News Tribune reported Sunday one utility worker logged over 1,600 hours of overtime last year. That's like an extra 40 weeks on top of a full-time job.
And it's costing plenty. That busy utility worker earned over $51,000 in overtime pay in 2010 -- on top of his $62,000 salary.
All told, Duluth shelled out $2.67 million in premium and overtime pay last year.
City Councilor Jim Stauber says any business with that kind of overtime problem would resolve it quickly.
But Duluth Mayor Don Ness says that during his first year in office, he cut overtime costs by $400,000, down 14 percent from what his predecessor spent in 2007.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
