Gov. Bevin announces pay raises for 2,600 state highway workers

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Some 2,600 state highway workers will be getting larger paychecks by January when raises averaging $3.20 per hour kick in, Gov. Matt Bevin announced Monday.

The wage hikes, the first for the crews since 2006, will affect specialized maintenance job classifications, including highway equipment operators, laborers, mechanics, machinists, welders and engineering technologists.

Bevin said the state highway jobs can be hard and thankless, but, he said, they're vital to the state’s transportation system, especially in the winter when the workers often spend overnights in snowplows and salt trucks.

“When it’s 2 in the morning, and there’s a blizzard coming through, everyone wants to be able to get to work the next day,” Bevin said. “Everyone wants their kids to get where they need to get to safely.”

Read more: http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/gov-bevin-announces-pay-raises-for-2600-state-highway-workers,5716