Why Johnny can’t swim, and other tragedies
Over at the Badger Blogger, they’re not too worried about the compensation Milwaukee County employees have received. In addition to generous salaries, employees receive a very generous benefits package:
According to the county’s website, the 2008 benefits cost for Milwaukee County employees was 74.35% of salary. And while county employees are decrying proposed wage cuts and cuts to services (and are willing to show up at taxpayer rallies in an attempt to make their “plight” known) the cost of their benefits is projected to have increased another 8-10% in 2009, according to budget analysts.
In real dollars, this means that a typical county employee – say, for example, county social worker, union organizer, prolific semi-professional blogger, and Chairman of the recently-formed “non-partisan social welfare organization” Milwaukee County First, Chris Liebenthal – making $48,816.00 annually, according to a publicly accessible online database, courtesy of the Journal/Sentinel – actually cost county taxpayers an additional $36,295 in 2008 non-salary compensation. If 2009 projections are accurate, this cost becomes in excess of $40,000.00.
To put this in further perspective, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests that the average benefits cost for private sector employers, effective June 2009, was 29.3% of monetary compensation. (Emphasis in the original.)
The next time someone complains about a swimming pool or a bus route being shut down, you can tell them Milwaukee County has had other priorities.
I’m glad you linked to them.
If Scott Walker runs his county like that why would I want him running my state? You guys can have him
grumps Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Oh, and BB is lying with their figures. The most cursory of reviews shows that nearly half of the benefits attributed to workers is Legacy Costs. To assign that out on a per employee basis is misleading, to be charitable.
Just another case of BB not understanding what they’re reading or not being able to apply it.
It is called G.A.S.B. Bush the younger modified it to force governments to include the legacy costs in their yearly budget, even though they don’t pay them out.
But it does raise the interesting question of where is that money that was budgeted but never spent?
It’s called OPEB Other Post Employment Benefits.
The benefits paid to public employees who retire at the golden age of 55 BEYOND pension.
Health insurance
Accumulated sick days
Life Insurance
How many private sector companies offer these retirement benefits?
Can you name me one company that assures you at hiring that they will be here for you when you want to retire at age 55?
We need to rethink the whole retirement at age 55 concept, including phase out of the state pension plan.
BadgerBlogger doesn’t worry about much at all, especially facts or civility. They even crank-called me this summer.