Questioning Government Employee Pay

Public v. Private Inequity

Are we on our way to a two class country (private vs public)?  While the private sector in their retirement years struggles, the public retirement sector thrives.

Here are some facts:

• Federal civilian employee wages in 2008 average was $79,197, more than 50% greater than that of the average private sector employee’s wages of $49,935
• Between 2000 and 2008, wages for federal civilian workers climbed 53.7%, while wages in the private sector went up 28.5% over the same time period
• The average state and local government employee earns 29% more than the average private sector employee.
• In Vallejo, California, more than 40% of the 613 city employees had salaries greater than $100,000 in 2008.
• When wages and benefits are combined, federal civilian workers averaged $119,982 in 2008, twice the amount of $59,909 which workers in the private sector averaged. This places the value of benefits for federal civilian workers at an average of $40,000/year, four times the value of benefits that the average private sector employee receives.
• The majority of public sector workers have pension plans that allow them to retire much earlier (10-25 years earlier) and that provide benefits many times the retirement payout that Social Security would provide.
• In California over half of the police and firefighters earn pensions in excess of the wages they earned while actively working.
• The private sector lost more than a million workers in the second quarter of 2009, while government added over half a million.

What is my point?  I believe the voting public is asleep and the elected officials on city, state and federal levels do not have the motivation or incentive to stop this. We as the public must remember it is us who pays for this.

I am not a specialist but I would like to ask our elected leaders why the following is not possible:

1. All public employees to pay into the Social Security fund.
2. City, state and federal government should reflect health care and retirement benefits that mirror the private sector – including payments for those benefits.
3. Pay increases should mirror the economy at large.
4. Workers should be added only at a rate reflected in the economy.

I believe it’s time for a public dialogue on this.  We need to hold our local, state and federal elected officials accountable for where their decisions have led us.

Not too long ago government employees were called public servants. Are private servants now serving the public workers?