Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey asked residents on Tuesday to tie ribbons around tree trunks and poles and pray for first responders during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayors and city officials around the state are also calling for prayers or are encouraging people to drive up to a hospital and join others in honking their horns and flashing their lights during shift changes.

But when it comes to rolling out the public’s checkbook to increase pay for those who are at risk during the pandemic -- police officers, firefighters, paramedics, healthcare workers and others -- the enthusiasm wanes. Some cities and counties are just now offering COVID-19 inspired pay raises, even after most big box retailers have already done so. A majority of city and county governments in Alabama are still contemplating whether to offer hazard pay bonuses for their employees.

“I don’t think the government is any different than a normal company,” said Michael Wesson, professor and chairman of the Department of Management at Auburn University. “You have a wide swath of employees, some of which are warranted for perhaps hazard pay of some kind and others who are not. But private companies are quicker on the draw on extending hazard pay.”

Alabama still debating

The issue has yet to emerge as topic of discussion inside the State House in Montgomery.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh’s spokesman said that hazard pay isn’t something that has come up for first responders. An Ivey spokeswoman said the governor is “immensely grateful to the men and women who are on the frontlines of combatting the virus,” but didn’t commit to extra pay.

“She is staying highly engaged on the evolving situation and will continue exploring any efforts to protect the people of Alabama,” said Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola.

House Minority leader Rep. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said a hazard pay program should be evaluated by state leaders. State Troopers, for instance, do not receive hazard pay of any kind.

“I think it’s a good gesture to do ribbons and different things, however, I’d like to see us be more showing of our appreciation in others away as well,” Daniels. He said the issue has come up during Democratic Caucus meetings but has not gained much momentum.

“We should be considering compensation for them,” he added. “We are asking them to put it all on the line and there should be something we should be doing to really help them.”

This morning, several members of the faith community joined me to launch my “Ribbons of Hope” campaign to remind everyone to pray for medical personnel, first responders, & for one another. #RibbonsofHope #TogetherAL #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/DqjtiYq9Gc — Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) April 7, 2020

Cities roll out plans

In Alabama, city governments are crafting hazard pay programs on their own and debates are emerging over who deserves to receive it during a pandemic.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, hazard pay is “additional pay for performing hazardous duty or work involving physical hardship” or “extreme physical discomfort and distress.”

In Birmingham, close to 2,000 employees will receive hazard pay for a month after city officials agreed to transfer $500,000 from a variety of funds to make it happen. Under the program, each eligible employee will receive a 5 percent raise based on their base salary for hours worked. For example, if your paycheck is $1,000, five percent would be $50, thus your total check would be $1,050.

In Daphne, the city council voted Monday to adopt a $100,000 hazard pay relief plan. The money will finance a $3 per hour hazard pay that starts on Thursday and lasts for four weeks, as well as a $250 additional compensation for all police officers and firefighters.

In both cities, hazard pay will go to employees who are not necessarily first responders working in direct contact with the public.

The Birmingham plan includes police officers and firefighters, but also 100 workers in planning, engineering and permits; 29 employees in the city’s Finance Department; and 10 in the mayor’s office.

In Daphne, city officials debated whether to add 10 police dispatchers to their hazard pay program. The council decided to include them in a one-time $250 compensation bonus even though the dispatchers do not directly interact with the public.

Councilwoman Angie Phillips, during Monday’s meeting, said that offering the bonuses to employees who are not in direct contact with the public could “open a can of worms” on who else should be included.

“As unpopular as it may be, it muddies the water a little bit,” said Phillips.

Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood, pictured in this August 2019 photo, said the city's plan to offer relief during the coronavirus pandemic includes hazard pay for first responders like police officers and firefighters. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood said he had no problem “showing appreciation” toward the dispatchers, saying the total amount of bonuses to them costs less than $3,000.

“It’s a slippery slope,” Haygood said. “But at the end of the day, I think the first responders are a primary focus. Dispatchers provide a service … they are a behind the scenes part of a Police Department that couldn’t be run without them.”

‘Hammered economically’

The lack of clarity over who should or should not receive hazard pay is causing some cities pause.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, late last month, said his administration was looking at a hazardous pay program but was unsure over how many city employees would be included. Mobile has been exploring the matter since the Mobile County Commission authorized hazard pay last month for sheriff deputies and corrections officers.

Stimpson said on Tuesday that his administration was still looking into it, but was worried about a potential loss of $12 million each month from sales tax revenues leading to a deterioration of city reserves.

“When we talk about hazardous pay, we’re talking about 900 first responders,” Stimpson recently said. “It also throws out the question about sanitation workers. And that all needs to be looked at. You can’t do that on the back of a match book. It takes a lot of calculations to do that.”

Mobile City Council members say they are waiting on Stimpson’s administration to come back with a plan.

The city’s first responders have since been tested for coronavirus. Close to 900 blood serum tests were administered in the past week or so to determine how many police officers and firefighters had the antibodies for COVID-19. Of those tested, 37 came back with positive cases. And of those, only three have officially tested positive for COVID-19 through the nasal swab test, which is less than 1%.

Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson said the first responders still warrant consideration for hazard pay. But unlike Birmingham, where public works employees are eligible, Richardson said that he’s unsure if anyone else should receive the pay.

“I don’t know of any employee who is actually having to confront the public beyond police and fire,” he said. “We have garbage workers, but they are on a truck. Most of them … don’t have to confront the public.”

In Tuscaloosa, Mayor Walt Maddox said he’s unsure if the city will be able to afford a hazard pay program for first responders. He said far too much is unknown about the virus to make a responsible decision on whether to move forward with the bonuses.

“Our heroes deserve it, but we have not had the first discussion,” said Maddox. “In mid-March, we lost 25,000 students with an economic impact of over $400 million in annual spending. Adding to the economic misery, we lost A-Day, (University of Alabama) spring sports, graduation, and the start of amphitheater season. Tuscaloosa is being hammered economically on top of a grave health care crisis which is requiring significant unexpected expenditures.”

Maddox said that based on “conservative revenue” projections, the city could finish the year with a $12 million to $15 million deficit in the general fund. He said that Tuscaloosa has a $42 million cash reserve, but added, “we don’t know how long this may last, and if it gets into football season, we may need every dime of the reserve fund.”

In Auburn, city officials are not contemplating additional pay either also citing concerns over the lack of a college football season.

“We are concerned that the expected downturn in the economy especially if football season is canceled or postponed will significantly impact our revenue,” said Auburn City Manager James Buston.

A host of other cities are contemplating hazard pay including Montgomery, Saraland, and Athens. Other cities like Florence, Foley and Gulf Shores are not considering it. Prichard, on Tuesday, adopted hazard pay that gives a time-and-a-half bonus to first responders.

In Orange Beach, city officials believe they have not “reached a point of hazard pay based” on the daily duties of police officers and firefighters.

“Our police and fire departments are aware that if circumstances change and hazard pay is warranted, they can request and it will be considered,” said Orange Beach Administrator Ken Grimes.

Federal lag

A lag in hazard pay exists on the federal level, where Congress is debating whether to include some sort of bonus in future federal legislation addressing the COVID-19 national emergency.

The $2 trillion federal legislation signed by President Donald Trump last month included provisions for fire and emergency management agencies but did not include a hazard pay provision.

A Senator Richard Shelby spokeswoman said that Congress continues to consider proposals for additional aid, but added that “elements of a package are still unclear at this point.”

Senate Democrats are proposing to include up to $25,000 in hazard pay as part of the fourth phase of a coronavirus relief bill that could be debated later this month. The pay would go to doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, truck drivers, and janitors, and would amount to a $13-per-hour raise.

“I completely support the idea of hazard pay for the folks on the front lines who risk exposing themselves to this virus every day in order to keep our communities running, and I’ll give strong consideration to any hazard pay proposals that are introduced as we continue to work to help all who have been impacted by this crisis," said Democratic Senator Doug Jones.

Senate Democrats are proposing hazard pay that will include a pay increase up to $25,000 for essential workers.



"We are asking these workers to take great risks and we should reward them for it." https://t.co/R3utSHOUfL — NPR (@NPR) April 7, 2020

The consideration comes after a lawsuit filed in federal court recently challenged some federal agencies – such as the Veteran’s Administration and Bureau of Prisons – for not offering hazard pay to employees who are in direct contact for COVID-19 exposure.

‘Flexible’

FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file photo, Garrett Ward sprays disinfectant on a conveyor belt between checking out shoppers behind a plexiglass panel at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Overland Park, Kan. From South Africa to Italy to the U.S., grocery workers — many in low-wage jobs — are manning the front lines amid worldwide lockdowns, their work deemed essential to keep food and critical goods flowing. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)AP

The scattershot efforts in the public sector is in contrast to a more unified approach of the private sector offering more hazard pay. Retail giants like Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, CVS and others are either issuing $2 per hour hazard pay to employees or providing one-time bonuses or extended leave policies.

Grocery stores with a presence in Alabama are also pressing forward by offering similar programs. Rouses Markets, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, and Kroger Co., all have hazard pay bonuses in some form or fashion.

Problems do exist within the private sector in Alabama. Surrogate shoppers who work with Birmingham-based Shipt walked off the job on Tuesday upset, in part, over a lack of hazard pay.

Peter Brummund, an economist at the University of Alabama, said it’s more difficult for the public sector to remove a pay increase or bonus than the private sector, which could be one of the reasons why most cities are hesitant.

“For the private sector, it will be easier for them to say that ‘we’re taking your $2 back,’” said Brummund. “Even for state and local governments, it’s harder to roll back whatever regulations are in place. Typically, the private sector is more flexible. They can move faster on the front end and retract when the time is right on the back end.”