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Page 14 — Wednesday, August 25, 2021, The True Citizen National Guard will help in COVID effort DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat News Service With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations still on the rise in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp deployed the Georgia National Guard Tuesday to hospitals across the state. Kemp announced that 105 members of the Guard with medical training will head tO 10 hospitals. “These guardsmen will as sist our frontline health-care workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospital izations,” the governor said. “This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported Labor shortages staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through Decem ber of this year.” The Guard personnel will be assigned to the following hospitals: • Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick • Northeast Georgia Medical Continued from front Center in Gainesville • Webstar Kennestone Hos pital in Marietta • Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge • Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany • Memorial Health Universi ty Medical Center in Savannah • Navicent Health Hospital in Macon • Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta • Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville • Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins The Georgia National Guard is working with the Geor gia Emergency Management Agency and the state Depart ment of Community Health to carry out the mission. The number of confirmed cases of the vims in Georgia passed 1 million last week and stood at 1,036,304 as of Monday afternoon, according to the state Department of Public Health. COVID-19 has hospitalized 70,777 Georgians and is responsible for 22,263 confirmed or probable deaths. 1 A IXJt I 1 r 2 ADULTS (1 WORKING) r 7 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING) 1 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children Living Wage $15.36 $29.63 $36.13 $45.92 $24.12 $28.58 $32.23 $35.54 $12.06 $16.22 $19.97 $23.05 Poverty Wage $6.13 $8.29 $10.44 $12.60 $8.29 $10.44 $12.60 $14.75 $4.14 $5.22 $6.30 $7.38 Minimum Wage $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 This chart demonstrates livable wage amounts in the State of Georgia according to the Depart ment of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. mately three months. There have been very few applicants, according to Rowell. She con tinues to repost the opening about every three weeks for the position that pays roughly $10.50 per hour. Officiating pays $18 to $25 per game. Rowell faced the Board of Commissioners during the most recent budget workshop asking for higher pay for man agement positions currently at pay grade 11. She asked that the positions be moved up to paygrade 15. “Upon reviewing the su pervisory positions through out the county, I felt that the pay grades for our managers were significantly lower than those within other county de partments. Our managers all have college degrees and/or a significant number of years of experience in their area,” Rowell said in a statement August 22. “In order to attract and retain quality employees, it is imperative that their sala ries are comparable with their education and experience and also that their pay grades are comparable with similar posi tions throughout the county government. In addition, our staff does not work traditional 9-5 hours. We work nights and weekends regularly and sacrifice time with our families in order to provide services for the families in our com munity.” Rowell’s thoughts correlate with what Marc Perrone said in a July 29 Newsweek article. Perrone is the President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “The problem, he said, is the gap between the compensation employers are offering and what workers are willing to work for, an issue that has been farther complicated by threats posed by the coronavims,” ac cording to Newsweek. “While Perrone said unem ployment benefit enhance ments included in federal stimulus packages ‘further exacerbate the problem,’ he doesn't agree with the argu ment that the worker shortage is attributable to Americans choosing to live off their un employment checks rather than return to work.” According to 2020-2021 Living Wage Calculator, cre ated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), employ ers in the state of Georgia, pay ing less than $15 per hour are not compensating their work ers with a living wage. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning defines living wage as an hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and their family. The Living Wage Calculator “is a market-based approach that draws upon geographically specific expenditure data re lated to a family’s likely mini mum food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transporta tion and other necessities (e.g., clothing, personal care items, etc.) costs. The living wage draws on these cost elements and the rough effects of income ^ TRANE its Hard 7b S/od ATmnt' M Mr iNO Wine. 706-554-7341 706-869-5550 Call us today for all of your HVAC needs! GA License# CR109981 Licensed - Bonded ■ Insured Public Auction Every Friday & Saturday - 6:00 pm 425 Highway 25 South Milled, Georgia 30442 (478)401-5007 G A L #4033 and payroll taxes to determine the minimum employment earnings necessary to meet a family’s basic needs while also maintaining self-sufficiency,” according to its User’s Guide. The Living Wage Calcula tion for Georgia shows that a single adult with no children requires a minimum wage of $15.36 per hour to sustain. A household of two adults and two children requires that both adults must earn at least $ 19.97 per hour. While some employers blame the inability to find help on a lack of motivation to work, there is some speculation that employers are creating the dilemma for themselves. "At this point in time, it's also a workers' market. And in some places, it may be that you have to pay more wages in order to attract workers,"said press secretary Jen Psaki dur ing a recent White House briefing. Jesse Burke asked the Burke County BOC to consider pay raises for five roads depart ment employees during the same budget work session that Rowell attended. “She came along when you hired someone and you hired them at low rates,” he said of one employee who has been with the department for 15 years. “She got hired at the bare minimum and she has been climbing as hard as she can climb all these years, and she can’t catch up.” Zero Turn Mowers & Repair Services! Gravely, Husqvarna, Spartan, Echo, Ego, Generac & DR Power Equipment, Four Wheelers 225 Old Millen Highway Waynesboro, Georgia 30830 www.tayloroutdoorequipment.com (706)551-5094 POWER PLA Of the Game! BURKE ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - 2021 Sponsored by: Planters Electric Membership Corporation A Touchstone Energy® Cooperative The senior quarterback had 134 yards on 20 rushes and a touchdown. INTERESTED IN SOLAR? BE INFORMED BEFORE YOU BUY! 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