Have a Happy Mother’s Day! Vol. 20, No. 19 -FREE- www.advocatene City plans salary increases to close gender pay gap By Barbara Taormina M alden is making sure that the women who work for the city are paid the same as men in similar jobs with similar demands and responsibilities. This week, the Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the city transfer $51,960 from the salary reserve account to city departments to raise the salaries of six employees who were earning less than coworkers because of their gender. The city’s decision Our 80th Year EDUCATION Next Classes DRIVER 2 Week Night Classes One Week Day Class CALL - ENROLL or Register Online 617-387-9121 HENRYSAUTOSCHOOL.COM AUTO SCHOOL E EVERETT A “Successful Key To Driving” Since 1938 Gift Certificates Available news.net ery Friday ublisi hed E e 617-387-2200 Friday, May 10, 2019 rida May 10, 2019 to make salaries fair and equitable was made in response to the state’s Equal Pay Act, which aims to eliminate gender pay disparities with defi nitions about comparable work and legal remedies for victims of gender-based pay discrimination. Human Resources Director Anthony Chiccuarelli told Finance Committee members that the city conducted a self-evaluation of its pay scales and found that salaries for six employees needed to be adjusted because of gender-based inequities. “We took it upon ourselves to do a self-assessment,” said Chiccuarelli, who added that a lot of work went into researching and analyzing city jobs and pay, and “We are the only municipality I’m aware of that has done a self-evaluation.” The Equal Pay Act urges employers to conduct self-evaluations to identify comparable positions based on the skills, knowledge, eff ort and responsibilities involved in successfully doing a job. Comparable jobs may also share similar workplace settings, potential job hazards and the hours and time of day an employee is scheduled to be at work. As part of a self-evaluation, employers examine salaries for men and women in comparable jobs and determine if pay rates are equal by comparing paychecks or by a more complicated statistical analysis that factors in other job-related information. While stepping up to conduct a self-assessment on pay equity seems admirable, it was SALARY | SEE PAGE 17 $2.55 GALLON Taste of Malden showcases local food options Shown from left to right are State Representative Steven Ultrino (D-Malden), Donald “DJ” Wilson and David Renna – enjoying Harpoon India Floral Ale, which they said was “cold and hoppy.” See photo highlights on page 14. (Advocate Photos by Tara Vocino) City Councillors gearing up to present resident-only parking program By Barbara Taormina M alden’s citywide resident parking program, which has been years in the making, may soon be coming to a community meeting near you. The Parking Review Committee agreed this week that it’s time to present the general plan to residents, who will no doubt have some feedback and ideas to add to the mix. According to the general outline of the proposed plan, only residents who register their vehicles in Malden and who have paid excise tax bills will be able to park on city streets from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., Monday through Friday. In addition to the overnight restrictions, parking in commuter zones surrounding the city MBTA stations will be limited to residents in those neighborhoods from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Although the general framework of the program is set, there are still outstanding questions and issues. The Parking Committee hasn’t made any decisions about student parking around Malden High and its impact on residents in that neighborhood. Although a no-fee approach is a major selling point of resident parking, the committee is looking at the possibility of charging a fee for residents in commuter zones. Parking Department Director Ron Hogan suggested a case could be made for a fee in those areas since residents will have additional protection of ensuring on-street parking is limited to neighborhood residents during the day. One of the problems with commuter-zone parking is that it will limit on-street parking at parks that fall within the zone to residents in that neighborhood. And there are still outstanding issues to tackle with visitor parking permits. Committee members agree that public meetings on the proposed plan are the next big step. “The earlier we get public feedback, the better,” said Hogan, who expects resident reactions to lead to tweaks in the program. Committee members plan on holding several meetings in different wards. In the past, public hearings have not gone well for proponents of citywide resident parking. Back in 2011, residents balked at a color-coded neighborhood sticker program with one free sticker and a $30 fee for subsequent stickers. The proposal called for stiff fi nes for residents who parked outside their color zone after 11 p.m. At a 2016 public hearing on a revised version of that plan, residents objected to a possible $50 sticker fee and the notion that stickers would boost public safety by allowing police to identify nonresidents who were parked in the city after 11 p.m. Residents called the plan restrictive, intrusive and a “big-brother type of thing.” The closest resident-parking proponents came to mustering community support was a limited and confusing 2017 ballot question that asked voters if they favored the expansion of resident-only parking. Malden residents cast 2,824 votes in favor of more resident-only parking, and 3,087 votes against it. Although Malden residents may be warming up to the idea of resident-only parking, the community’s opposition to various proposals hasn’t been the deciding factor in keeping parking restrictions at bay. Prior to 2017, parking PARKING | SEE PAGE 16
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