HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The fiscal year 2024 first-quarter staffing report released recently by the Office of the Attorney General was called into question on social media, as reflected pay increases received by some OAG staffers raised eyebrows, but, according to Attorney General Douglas Moylan, the negative attention is “propaganda.”
The fiscal 2024 staffing pattern, which is available on the OAG website, raised concerns specifically when it was compared to the fourth-quarter staffing report for fiscal 2023, according to messages circulating on social media which were shared with The Guam Daily Post.
The communication received read, “AG’s office staffing pattern was released today. … Many, if not all, of the unclassified staffers received raises around $10,000.”
It further noted that while unclassified hires received raises, others at the AG’s office continue to wait for money due to them.
“They can’t process personal evaluation forms for classified employees and pay out merit bonuses and increases due to them,” the message said.
Moylan declined to speak about “confidential personnel matters,” telling the Post that concerns over the raises were “propaganda.” However, he did confirm that the raises appear to correspond with the 22% pay raise authorized in the General Pay Plan.
“Your figures seem consistent with the 22% government pay increase that was delayed in coming to our office and in the October (2023) increase for unclassifieds from that same pay increase the governor and Legislature authorized,” Moylan said.
When the 22% GPP raise initially was passed into law, the OAG was the only line agency excluded from the plan, despite 131 OAG employees being identified in the Hay Study, which set the basis for the GPP a decade ago.
It was an oversight that was later corrected, with the pay raises made retroactive to April 1, 2023, when raises for all other government of Guam employees under the GPP went into effect.
The oversight, however, meant that funding for the 22% raise was not available to OAG staffers under the GPP, to include federally funded positions, until the end of fiscal 2023. With the start of fiscal 2024 in October 2023, the staffing patterns reflect the GPP increase.
Douglas Moylan
