Editor,
A recent article in this newspaper indicated that the city of Merrill received a sizeable grant from the Bierman Family Foundation towards the purchase of firefighting equipment. This grant will provide much needed equipment for the fire department.
With that being said, it must be recognized that the funds used for this grant were a direct result of the hard work and loyalty of the employees of Lincoln Wood and its subsidiaries. It must also be recognized that the owners of Lincoln Wood have failed to provide their employees with a pay raise for six years. While the grant will provide the entire community with some benefits, it can be said that a pay raise for Lincoln Wood employees would do the same. Because if employees are paid more they can spend more for items such as cars, homes, home improvements, food and clothing, and the list goes on. Thus the trickle down effect can provide our community with more cash flow and benefit our local businesses.
It would seem to me that the Bierman Foundation would get some sort of tax break for this grant, but I doubt that the same could be said for an employee pay hike. I think that the Lincoln Wood employees should get a thank you for their part in this grant.
I can relate to the lack of a pay raise because I worked at a facility where the owner elected to cut the employees’ pay by 10 percent (two years later reinstating five percent), but not issuing any pay hikes. This policy has a lasting negative effect on employee morale and loyalty.
Patrick Hommerding
Merrill