Group probes into utility pay raises

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(PNC photo)

Guam -The Guam Citizens for Public Accountability has FOIA’d the Guam Power Authority and the Guam Waterworks Authority to get to the bottom of the pay raise and bonus issue.  

Ken Leon Guerrero, spokesperson for the group, said they have submitted the FOIA requests to obtain documentation on the closed door meeting where the pay raise decision was made.

Executive managers were given a 10 percent raise or bonus on top of their 6 figure salaries.

When the news broke, Consolidated Commission on Utilities chairman Joey Duenas said that “they pay their managers what they are worth.”

Leon Guerrero disagreed with Duenas’ statement.

“I mean we can’t say that they deserve the pay raises because the utility systems are running so much better than a year ago when we still have brownouts, black outs. 60 percent of the water that we pump out of the ground, at great expense, never makes it to a meter. So it can’t be based on their performance on the job,” Leon Guerrero said.

He added, “So I want to know what their justification was to give themselves massive pay raises and bonuses when they are very well compensated for the jobs they were hired to do.”

According to Leon Guerrero, he wants to see the criteria used to justify the $10,000 to $25,000 thousand raises.

He also questioned a statement made by Duenas in which he allegedly said that the managers “show up for work every day,” as a justification for the raise.

Leon Guerrero said they have started a petition against giving the executives raises and bonuses.

The petition is being circulated in anticipation of a meeting with the CCU to formalize the pay raises and bonuses in the manner directed by the Attorney General’s Office.

 

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Jolene joined the PNC team in 2017, as a producer, co-anchor and investigative reporter covering law enforcement, courts and crimes. Notable coverage includes the Ehlert case, the Mark Torre Jr. trial, the Allan Agababa trial, exclusive pieces on the Life of a Drug Dealer/Addict, and Life behind bars...the story of Honofre Chargualaf and Kevin Cruz. In 2019, she was promoted to Assistant News Director and Lead Anchor. From 2015 to 2017 she served as Public Relations and Promotions Manager, for the Hotel Nikko Guam handling local radio and advertorial promotions, as well as produced and directed tv commercials for the hotel. Prior to this she worked with KUAM for three years as a reporter and segment host. She began her journalism career in 2012, working with Glimpses of Guam contributing to the Guam Business Magazine, R&R magazine, MDM magazine and the Marianas Business Journal.