Genesee commissioners say $16 hourly intern pay a ‘slap in the face’ to other workers

Charles Winfrey, District 2 commissioner, listens during a Genesee County Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in Flint. (Jake May | MLive.com)

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GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The Board of Commissioners has rejected a plan to establish a universal pay rate of $16 an hour for interns working for county government departments, saying it would have resulted in some students earning more than seasonal and other employees.

“This is a definite slap in the face to workers like at (the Genesee County Community Action Resource Department) where we just struggled to raise their salaries to $12 an hour,” said Commissioner Charles Winfrey, D-Flint, one of seven commissioners who voted against the plan in a committee meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

The proposal rejected by commissioners suggested the standardized hourly rate because of varying rates of pay being offered by different departments.

Board Chairman Domonique Clemons said the students working as interns accrue the benefit of job experience but are also paying tuition and often working elsewhere to make ends meet.

“We might need to raise (other employee wages) as well and make sure all of our employees are being compensated in a fair manner,” Clemons, D-Flint Twp., said. “With inflation going up the way it is, we need to make sure that we are offering full-time employees a living wage.”

In addition to full-time employees, the county hires hundreds of seasonal workers, many of whom earn a starting hourly pay rate of $13.50, officials said Wednesday.

“I don’t think it’s fair to put (intern pay) higher than seasonal staff and other employees,” said Commissioner Shaun Shumaker, R-Fenton Twp. “An intern is somebody who’s in training or somebody who’s learning. They are getting experience ... getting knowledge from us in addition to the benefit of (being able) to put it on their resume.”

In addition to Clemons, Commissioner Gary Peppin, D-Davison, supported the standardized pay proposal.

Read more at The Flint Journal:

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Resignation puts Flint back in the market for new ombudsperson

Your guide to every proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot in Genesee County

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