Are federal workers overpaid? Avg 123k?? It’s insane!

[bubba99]

Yea, I see what you mean. I meant the other way. Four years ago, the journeyman level was GS-9, $17,000 less than today. Over the past five years the job has been upgraded from 9, to 11, to 12 this year.

[UCGal]

[quote=eavesdropper]
But when you get to the mid- and high-level positions (for which there is no internal candidate) that require significant work experience and advanced education, the pay is equal to, or quite often, significantly less than private sector. [/quote]

And don’t forget the fact that the people who do the work day in and day, who’ve worked their way up, with experience and education, have to deal with figurehead political appointee bosses that come and go based on election results and often do not have a clear understanding of the work being done at that department. (I’ve heard more than one earful about this from friends/family)

[UCGal]

[quote=eavesdropper]
But when you get to the mid- and high-level positions (for which there is no internal candidate) that require significant work experience and advanced education, the pay is equal to, or quite often, significantly less than private sector. [/quote]

And don’t forget the fact that the people who do the work day in and day, who’ve worked their way up, with experience and education, have to deal with figurehead political appointee bosses that come and go based on election results and often do not have a clear understanding of the work being done at that department. (I’ve heard more than one earful about this from friends/family)

[UCGal]

[quote=eavesdropper]
But when you get to the mid- and high-level positions (for which there is no internal candidate) that require significant work experience and advanced education, the pay is equal to, or quite often, significantly less than private sector. [/quote]

And don’t forget the fact that the people who do the work day in and day, who’ve worked their way up, with experience and education, have to deal with figurehead political appointee bosses that come and go based on election results and often do not have a clear understanding of the work being done at that department. (I’ve heard more than one earful about this from friends/family)

[UCGal]

[quote=eavesdropper]
But when you get to the mid- and high-level positions (for which there is no internal candidate) that require significant work experience and advanced education, the pay is equal to, or quite often, significantly less than private sector. [/quote]

And don’t forget the fact that the people who do the work day in and day, who’ve worked their way up, with experience and education, have to deal with figurehead political appointee bosses that come and go based on election results and often do not have a clear understanding of the work being done at that department. (I’ve heard more than one earful about this from friends/family)

[UCGal]

[quote=eavesdropper]
But when you get to the mid- and high-level positions (for which there is no internal candidate) that require significant work experience and advanced education, the pay is equal to, or quite often, significantly less than private sector. [/quote]

And don’t forget the fact that the people who do the work day in and day, who’ve worked their way up, with experience and education, have to deal with figurehead political appointee bosses that come and go based on election results and often do not have a clear understanding of the work being done at that department. (I’ve heard more than one earful about this from friends/family)

[aldante]

I completely disagree with you former. This Govertment/Private Sector metric has been around for a long time. Your arguement is not based on any relevent data point on this logic. The fact (as factual as any statictic can be) is that the public employees (whose salaries come from taxes only) is going up at a faster pace then the private sector.
That this fact is inflamtory is the WHOLE POINT and it speaks to taking action….not dismissing the point.
Oh and let’s not forget my favorite line from the Pulbic Sector Union rep, “compensation gap reflects the increasingly high level of skill and education required for most federal jobs and the government contracting out lower-paid jobs to the private sector in recent years.”
Where do I start?
Uhmm let’s see. Ok…The SEC with Madoff…..they were so skilled. Even with the private sector sounding alarm after alarm they seemed to have not earned their pay. But’s what’s $65 billion anyway.
Should we look at how well BTO and FDIC did in policing the balance sheets of the too big to fails? How much will that end up costing us? How about the $8billion in cash that Dod “lost” in Afganistan. With that kind of skill in our federal employees who needs crooks and enemies.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aldante]

I completely disagree with you former. This Govertment/Private Sector metric has been around for a long time. Your arguement is not based on any relevent data point on this logic. The fact (as factual as any statictic can be) is that the public employees (whose salaries come from taxes only) is going up at a faster pace then the private sector.
That this fact is inflamtory is the WHOLE POINT and it speaks to taking action….not dismissing the point.
Oh and let’s not forget my favorite line from the Pulbic Sector Union rep, “compensation gap reflects the increasingly high level of skill and education required for most federal jobs and the government contracting out lower-paid jobs to the private sector in recent years.”
Where do I start?
Uhmm let’s see. Ok…The SEC with Madoff…..they were so skilled. Even with the private sector sounding alarm after alarm they seemed to have not earned their pay. But’s what’s $65 billion anyway.
Should we look at how well BTO and FDIC did in policing the balance sheets of the too big to fails? How much will that end up costing us? How about the $8billion in cash that Dod “lost” in Afganistan. With that kind of skill in our federal employees who needs crooks and enemies.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aldante]

I completely disagree with you former. This Govertment/Private Sector metric has been around for a long time. Your arguement is not based on any relevent data point on this logic. The fact (as factual as any statictic can be) is that the public employees (whose salaries come from taxes only) is going up at a faster pace then the private sector.
That this fact is inflamtory is the WHOLE POINT and it speaks to taking action….not dismissing the point.
Oh and let’s not forget my favorite line from the Pulbic Sector Union rep, “compensation gap reflects the increasingly high level of skill and education required for most federal jobs and the government contracting out lower-paid jobs to the private sector in recent years.”
Where do I start?
Uhmm let’s see. Ok…The SEC with Madoff…..they were so skilled. Even with the private sector sounding alarm after alarm they seemed to have not earned their pay. But’s what’s $65 billion anyway.
Should we look at how well BTO and FDIC did in policing the balance sheets of the too big to fails? How much will that end up costing us? How about the $8billion in cash that Dod “lost” in Afganistan. With that kind of skill in our federal employees who needs crooks and enemies.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aldante]

I completely disagree with you former. This Govertment/Private Sector metric has been around for a long time. Your arguement is not based on any relevent data point on this logic. The fact (as factual as any statictic can be) is that the public employees (whose salaries come from taxes only) is going up at a faster pace then the private sector.
That this fact is inflamtory is the WHOLE POINT and it speaks to taking action….not dismissing the point.
Oh and let’s not forget my favorite line from the Pulbic Sector Union rep, “compensation gap reflects the increasingly high level of skill and education required for most federal jobs and the government contracting out lower-paid jobs to the private sector in recent years.”
Where do I start?
Uhmm let’s see. Ok…The SEC with Madoff…..they were so skilled. Even with the private sector sounding alarm after alarm they seemed to have not earned their pay. But’s what’s $65 billion anyway.
Should we look at how well BTO and FDIC did in policing the balance sheets of the too big to fails? How much will that end up costing us? How about the $8billion in cash that Dod “lost” in Afganistan. With that kind of skill in our federal employees who needs crooks and enemies.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aldante]

I completely disagree with you former. This Govertment/Private Sector metric has been around for a long time. Your arguement is not based on any relevent data point on this logic. The fact (as factual as any statictic can be) is that the public employees (whose salaries come from taxes only) is going up at a faster pace then the private sector.
That this fact is inflamtory is the WHOLE POINT and it speaks to taking action….not dismissing the point.
Oh and let’s not forget my favorite line from the Pulbic Sector Union rep, “compensation gap reflects the increasingly high level of skill and education required for most federal jobs and the government contracting out lower-paid jobs to the private sector in recent years.”
Where do I start?
Uhmm let’s see. Ok…The SEC with Madoff…..they were so skilled. Even with the private sector sounding alarm after alarm they seemed to have not earned their pay. But’s what’s $65 billion anyway.
Should we look at how well BTO and FDIC did in policing the balance sheets of the too big to fails? How much will that end up costing us? How about the $8billion in cash that Dod “lost” in Afganistan. With that kind of skill in our federal employees who needs crooks and enemies.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paramount]

Government jobs: Bloated pay, benefits cost us all

Feel like you’re not paid enough? Worry about losing your job? Wish you had better benefits? Ever think about quitting?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, one thing is certain: You don’t work for Uncle Sam.

That’s because federal workers are much better off than private-sector workers in all the major markers of job satisfaction — salary, job security, benefits and job desirability. And it’s costing taxpayers a bundle.

Start with the money. The average federal employee earns an annual salary almost 60% higher than the average private-sector employee — $79,000 vs. $50,000. Federal employees do have more education (on average) than private-sector workers. Their unions argue that this justifies their higher pay. But it doesn’t. Even after controlling for education and experience, federal employees get paid significantly better — 22% more per hour, on average — than private-sector workers.

Overall, though, government workers earn well above what their private-sector counterparts make, even before you consider benefits.

Once you add up benefits, the gap in total compensation rises even higher — 30% to 40% above comparable private-sector workers.

Federal civil servants enjoy another perk: near-absolute job security. Private businesses cut hiring and increase layoffs when sales drops. From 2007 through 2009, the adult unemployment rate in the private sector more than doubled, from 4.2% to 9.4%. Not in government. The percentage of federal employees who lost jobs barely budged, going from 2.0% to 2.9%.

This is largely because of civil service rules. It’s virtually impossible to fire federal employees for bad performance once they’ve passed a one-year probationary period.

USA Today

[paramount]

Government jobs: Bloated pay, benefits cost us all

Feel like you’re not paid enough? Worry about losing your job? Wish you had better benefits? Ever think about quitting?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, one thing is certain: You don’t work for Uncle Sam.

That’s because federal workers are much better off than private-sector workers in all the major markers of job satisfaction — salary, job security, benefits and job desirability. And it’s costing taxpayers a bundle.

Start with the money. The average federal employee earns an annual salary almost 60% higher than the average private-sector employee — $79,000 vs. $50,000. Federal employees do have more education (on average) than private-sector workers. Their unions argue that this justifies their higher pay. But it doesn’t. Even after controlling for education and experience, federal employees get paid significantly better — 22% more per hour, on average — than private-sector workers.

Overall, though, government workers earn well above what their private-sector counterparts make, even before you consider benefits.

Once you add up benefits, the gap in total compensation rises even higher — 30% to 40% above comparable private-sector workers.

Federal civil servants enjoy another perk: near-absolute job security. Private businesses cut hiring and increase layoffs when sales drops. From 2007 through 2009, the adult unemployment rate in the private sector more than doubled, from 4.2% to 9.4%. Not in government. The percentage of federal employees who lost jobs barely budged, going from 2.0% to 2.9%.

This is largely because of civil service rules. It’s virtually impossible to fire federal employees for bad performance once they’ve passed a one-year probationary period.

USA Today

[paramount]

Government jobs: Bloated pay, benefits cost us all

Feel like you’re not paid enough? Worry about losing your job? Wish you had better benefits? Ever think about quitting?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, one thing is certain: You don’t work for Uncle Sam.

That’s because federal workers are much better off than private-sector workers in all the major markers of job satisfaction — salary, job security, benefits and job desirability. And it’s costing taxpayers a bundle.

Start with the money. The average federal employee earns an annual salary almost 60% higher than the average private-sector employee — $79,000 vs. $50,000. Federal employees do have more education (on average) than private-sector workers. Their unions argue that this justifies their higher pay. But it doesn’t. Even after controlling for education and experience, federal employees get paid significantly better — 22% more per hour, on average — than private-sector workers.

Overall, though, government workers earn well above what their private-sector counterparts make, even before you consider benefits.

Once you add up benefits, the gap in total compensation rises even higher — 30% to 40% above comparable private-sector workers.

Federal civil servants enjoy another perk: near-absolute job security. Private businesses cut hiring and increase layoffs when sales drops. From 2007 through 2009, the adult unemployment rate in the private sector more than doubled, from 4.2% to 9.4%. Not in government. The percentage of federal employees who lost jobs barely budged, going from 2.0% to 2.9%.

This is largely because of civil service rules. It’s virtually impossible to fire federal employees for bad performance once they’ve passed a one-year probationary period.

USA Today

[paramount]

Government jobs: Bloated pay, benefits cost us all

Feel like you’re not paid enough? Worry about losing your job? Wish you had better benefits? Ever think about quitting?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, one thing is certain: You don’t work for Uncle Sam.

That’s because federal workers are much better off than private-sector workers in all the major markers of job satisfaction — salary, job security, benefits and job desirability. And it’s costing taxpayers a bundle.

Start with the money. The average federal employee earns an annual salary almost 60% higher than the average private-sector employee — $79,000 vs. $50,000. Federal employees do have more education (on average) than private-sector workers. Their unions argue that this justifies their higher pay. But it doesn’t. Even after controlling for education and experience, federal employees get paid significantly better — 22% more per hour, on average — than private-sector workers.

Overall, though, government workers earn well above what their private-sector counterparts make, even before you consider benefits.

Once you add up benefits, the gap in total compensation rises even higher — 30% to 40% above comparable private-sector workers.

Federal civil servants enjoy another perk: near-absolute job security. Private businesses cut hiring and increase layoffs when sales drops. From 2007 through 2009, the adult unemployment rate in the private sector more than doubled, from 4.2% to 9.4%. Not in government. The percentage of federal employees who lost jobs barely budged, going from 2.0% to 2.9%.

This is largely because of civil service rules. It’s virtually impossible to fire federal employees for bad performance once they’ve passed a one-year probationary period.

USA Today

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