Mapp marks Labor Day by highlighting wage increases for public and private workers

Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp said on Aug. 31, 2018, that wage increases for public- and private-sector workers were among the developments he highlighted for Labor Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Government House said nearly 800 government workers received larger paychecks on Aug. 30, 2018, and about 1,200 more were scheduled to receive salary increases later in September 2018 under executive orders raising the minimum wage for public-sector workers to $13 an hour and increasing base salaries for teachers, social workers and other government employees. The administration said the increases would be retroactive to Aug. 1, 2018.

Mapp also said private-sector hourly pay had increased to $10.50 as of June 1, 2018, under legislation he approved.

Government House said Mapp had granted raises in 2016 to more than 3,000 public employees, averaging about $5,000 annually.

In the statement, Mapp also pointed to hurricane recovery work and cited the oil refinery reopening and racetrack rehabilitation projects as economic-development efforts.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/quality-of-life-improvements-highlighted-this-labor-day/