The State Worker: California state employees have a pampered image

Sacramento Bee ^ | 6/4/9 | Jon Ortiz

[SmithL]

State workers, you're the face of California government – and for many outside of it, you're also the hired help.

What really ticks off the "boss" is that their money pays your wages, but they feel powerless to dictate what you do or what you earn doing it.

The complaints surface on The State Worker blog, in phone calls and e-mails. Here are a few, with numbers:

• State workers make more than the "boss." California state employees' average base pay in 2008 was $63,815, according to a Bee analysis of state wage data that excluded the university systems. The median, the point at which half earn more and half earn less, was $66,006.

Meanwhile, federal statistics show that the average wage among all Californians last year was $48,090 and the median was $36,441.

Just goes to show that ...

• State workers are in an economic cocoon. Businesses are shedding workers, cutting pay and shutting down. California's unemployment rate from January through March of this year went from 10.1 percent to 11.2 percent.

State government? It grew by 1,362 full-time jobs during that same period, according to state payroll data. And this while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued 20,000 layoff warnings and ordered a virtual hiring freeze. Another sign that ...

• State workers are pampered. Example: For years, working holidays for the state earned what amounted to double time-and-a-half: Overtime pay for working the day, plus another day off with pay.

Schwarzenegger and the Legislature changed those workplace rules and others during the last budget crisis. Although the new policies are in line with federal standards, the unions are fighting to keep the old ones.

[GeronL]

State workers are serving the fatherland and should be revered and worshipped as above the peasants.

/sarc

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Public employee unions own Sacramento.

[Tzimisce]

Aw, gee - I’m so sorry.

I just think if you’re going to make something I would consider to be great pay and excellent benefits YOU SHOULD GIVE GOOD SERVICE.

Especially when you’re FORCING ME via TAX HIKES to pay for you.

Have you California state workers ever ONCE thanked the taxpayers? Cause all I ever hear you do is WHINE, BITCH and MOAN about how you’re getting screwed....

[Navy Patriot]

Public employee=Public enemy.

[freedumb2003]

I used to work for the State of CA and worked my @ss off. Eventually, they added more and more until I just got fed up and left.

They had to replace me with 3 people.

I have friends that still work there and they work their butts of constantly.

So be careful how broad a brush you use.

[Ken H]

5,115 retired California government workers receive pensions in excess of $100,000 from CalPERS. They're all listed here.

http://www.californiapensionreform.com/calpers/

_________________________________________

There were more than 38,000 CA state employees who made over $100,000 in 2007. View those salaries here:

http://b2.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=92721000f5a6h1f9a6j5j3d3f5d5

_________________________________________

You can view the same data for many northern CA cities and counties here. Scroll down to the links under "Salaries":

http://www.sfgate.com/data/

[GeronL]

They probably have a glorious statue dedicated to you somewhere in the Utopian Fatherland. Although the last Czar may have buried it.

[freedumb2003]

>>They probably have a glorious statue dedicated to you somewhere in the Utopian Fatherland.<<

They should have done so, yes.

[ridesthemiles]

I moved to California in Feb 1964.

I moved FROM California Dec 2004.

I found a new property in N Nevada late Jan 2005, and moved into house March 2005.

I went to DMV within 10 days to get a new driver’s license and to register truck and horse trailer.

I was required to surrender my license and vehicle tags from California, and the lady said that they are actually mailed to California weekly to be voided.

In the following 2 years, I received RENEWAL notices and late notices with penalties from California-——mailed directly to my new residence in Nevada. Keep in mind the state of California already had my prior license and all the metal license plates in their possession. They obviously already knew my new address in Nevada.

When I told a couple that had been my neighbors in California who had moved to Kansas—they told me that they had the same experience. Renewals and letters with penalties for late renewals were mailed to their new address in Kansas.

None of these mailings were “forwarded mail”.

The waste and stupidity in California is beyond comprehension to me.

[ridesthemiles]

One person’s version of ‘working my butt off’ and another person’s version is often 2 different things.

I run a small ranch single-handed, and get regular compliments from neighbors who cannot figure out how I do it. Bad back and all.

[freedumb2003]

>>One person’s version of ‘working my butt off’ and another person’s version is often 2 different things.<<

Does 80+ hours a week work for you? Or do you have loftier standards? Like I said, I was doing the work of 3 people.

[GeronL]

lol.

not exactly efficient, these People’s states.

[freedumb2003]

$100,000 a year is not very much.

[mbs6]

This is the root of California’s problems. We have too many pigs feeding at the trough, and they vote. I know otherwise reasonable people who work for the state and when it comes to their livelihood, they will defend it to the end no matter how overpaid, over-pensioned they are for what they do.

My father tells me that when he graduated as an engineer from the University back in the 70’s, taking a government job was a sacrifice. It simply wasn’t as high-paying as a private sector job. He ended up working at HP. Now, the tables are turned. “Public service” is more like public theft.

[freedumb2003]

My name is immortalized in a glass plaque (after they extorted money from me) — does that count?

[GeronL]

it’ll have to do.

[twistedwrench]

You got that right, here is an obvious example

California Assembly passes curb on local government bankruptcy

http://www.sacbee.com/politics/story/1917288.html?mi_rss=State%2520Politics

[I am Richard Brandon]

What concerns me about the present cutback proposals is that so many of them are ‘elastic band’ cuts. Working hours are cut back 10% (they will ‘snap back’ to 100% when we are not looking). Two furlough days per month (they will snap back). Pay cuts (they will be ‘restored’).

Where are the genuine cuts: Departments completely done away with or merged; programs and subsidies abolished (not to be ‘restored’); payrolls cut (not to be ‘restored) etc.

Maybe state bankruptcy would be good and then pensions could be reduced from $499,000 (look it up) to more reasonable levels. Currently the bureaucracy is looking after itself at out expense even in these troubled times.

[EricT.]

Heck, I got a jury duty summons 3 years after I moved to Tennessee, addressed to my house in TN. I started making plans to take the time off from work until I noticed it was from the Superior Court in Sacramento.

I sent back a deferral request because the $15 per day wasn’t enough to cover the 3,200 mile commute.