Mass. Municipal Contracts Include Longevity Pay

As Boston and other cities seek to control payroll costs in the down economy, some critics are blasting what they call a "hidden benefit" in municipal contracts called longevity pay.

It gives workers extra money based on how long they've been on the job. The money is separate from raises and it's not tied to performance.

The Boston Globe reports Boston spent more than $12 million on longevity pay last year. In Worcester, the cost was more than $700 thousand dollars for just police and firefighters.

Union leaders say workers have earned the pay.