My husband has worked for Alabama Department of Transportation for 12 years. Workers have had one merit raise in the past 10 years and that was under Gov. Bob Riley. When Don Siegelman was governor, they got their merit raise and cost of living raise every year.

They are due another raise in January and it is already frozen. How are they supposed to live with everything going up in cost?

Thanks to Sen. Roger Bedford for standing up for DOT employees.

Also, insurance goes up and so does co-pays. When teachers’ insurance are cheaper and so are their co-pays. DOT workers are important, too.

They have a dangerous job even if people don’t think about that.

There have been men run over and killed while working on roadways, men killed when tractors turn over on them because of mowing steep hills for our roads to look good, men killed when working in ice storms by slipping on ice.

They don’t have an 8 to 3 job for eight or nine months with pay while out for the summer. DOT works 12 months a year, five days a week, 24 hours on call, seven days a week. So think these raises ought to be evened up.

DOT families are losing homes and vehicles, can’t pay bills. In other words, we are going under. So someone please, we need help.

Rena Gobbell

Moulton