Teri Hubka | Senior office assistant | Salary: $26,600

Hubka makes about as much money now, working for the city’s wastewater treatment plant, as she would have made for similar work at Alltel in 1997.

When she retired from Alltel in 2003 after 27 years with the phone company, she was making $19.06 an hour. Now she makes $12.79 an hour paying bills, doing payroll, answering phones and greeting people.

“I pay bills now versus explaining bills there,” she said.

Alltel offered buyouts; she took one. After watching jobs go elsewhere, she was worried about job security.

Hubka, 53, has worked for the city since November 2003. She figures she’d make more money if she worked for a unionized company, less for a smaller company. She’s happy right where she is.

“I just like what I do,” she said.

And she feels this job is more secure than Alltel.

“To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever feel totally secure in today’s world, but I’m not concerned at this point,” said Hubka. “However, job security at my age isn’t a big deal. It would be if I were younger.”

She likes the city’s retirement plan, but it’s been difficult to adjust to just two weeks of vacation, compared to the five she got at Alltel.