00:00:01.830 - 00:00:24.830

Channel 13 Ktrk TV Houston. We care about texas live with the entire eyewitness news team. This is channel 13. Eyewitness news doctors, nurses and other medical staffers at the Harris County Medical district are fuming tonight about the loss of a pay raise. Their board of managers

00:00:24.830 - 00:00:40.050

today rescinded the rays, which would have given the workers a 3.5% hike this month. Eyewitness news reporter Steven Govan has the story. They haven't had a pay raise in three years and they were hoping for one this month. The situation some say is getting drastic. We

00:00:40.050 - 00:00:57.920

continue to fall behind on salaries and are losing good people. The Harris County Hospital District oversees medical services at LBJ Hospital, Ben Tom Hospital 11 satellite clinics and the thomas Street AIDS clinic. 11,440 new Texans were born in the two hospitals last year and there were

00:00:57.920 - 00:01:17.873

320,000 visits recorded at community clinics. So we're ready. With that. A 3.5% pay hike went out the window after voting for the raise. A couple of weeks ago, the Medical district board of managers were reminded by angry Harris County commissioners that there was a promise not

00:01:17.883 - 00:01:30.953

to raise salaries this fiscal year, which ends in just four weeks. It was an embarrassing admission for board members. As you say, we were, we were wrong when you go and you ask the public for more money for a raise. Um, it's fair for them to

00:01:30.953 - 00:01:44.586

say, what are you doing with what we're giving you. The hospital district, including Ben top gives such a high level of service at a low cost that they have ranked in the top 100 hospitals in the country over the past two years. That notwithstanding, news of

00:01:44.586 - 00:01:57.086

the rescinded raise came as a blow. We're going to start going through cycles of not having enough nurses, not have enough ancillary staff and having to rehire and retrain, which is more costly in the long run district employees. Now, hang on the hope that a 2%

00:01:57.096 - 00:02:19.030

pay raise pitched by county commissioner steve will survive county budget hearings, which begin next week. 13 eyewitness news. The hospital district has backed off a proposal to give its employees a pay raise. This comes after Harris County commissioners challenged the district's plan. County judge robert Eckels

00:02:19.030 - 00:02:36.060

said the district worked behind the courts back in order to increase salaries Beverly brooks has more word that there wouldn't be any pay raises again this year, spread quickly throughout Ben. TOB it's been three years since hospital district employees have been given pay increases. People are

00:02:36.060 - 00:02:52.672

feeling kind of browbeaten by not having a raised again this year, employees. We talked to say they're forced to work overtime hours just to make ends meet. Ben Top has a world renowned trauma unit. Its emergency rooms are full of accidents and gunshot victims, employees are

00:02:52.672 - 00:03:05.182

sometimes working around the clock. We work 12 hour shifts here and that's tiring in itself. And then when you figure that you have to do 4 to 5 days in a week, up to 60 hours in a week to make decent money. It's extremely stressful. It's

00:03:05.182 - 00:03:24.214

hard on your body. The average salary for Harris County Hospital District employees lags way behind other districts. For example, the average salary That Bear County Hospital District in San Antonio is over $42,000 at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. The average salary is more than $37,000. The

00:03:24.214 - 00:03:43.156

average employee salary at the Harris County Hospital district though is $34,000. There could be some relief to the employees. Just days after the county blasted the hospital district for voting in a 3.5% pay raise, Harris County Commissioner Steve Radha proposed a 2% raise for all county

00:03:43.156 - 00:03:58.286

employees. He feel that now that they can afford a 2% increase for all the employees throughout Harris County, I applaud him for that, but we will still work and hopefully that will be able to get the 2% plus some other employees a 2% pay increase across

00:03:58.286 - 00:04:10.310

the board would cost taxpayers about $10 million. That proposal will be up for a vote at the Commissioner's budget meeting, February 27, Beverly Brooks can WS Houston's news channel