City payroll sees big gains in high-income earners ( San Diego )

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | June 30, 2009 | Eleanor Yang Su

[george76]

San Diego city employees earning at least $100,000 are the fastest-growing income group on the payroll...

About 13 percent of city employees exceeded the six-figure mark in pay last year, when salary, overtime and add-on pay for reasons such as bilingual skills were included. That's up from 4 percent in 2003, and 7 percent since Mayor Jerry Sanders was elected in 2005.

While this highest-paid group is growing, the proportion of middle-income earners is shrinking and the lowest-paid segment is basically flat.

For many in San Diego, the conventional wisdom of government work being synonymous with low pay and high benefits is no longer the norm.

Compensation analysts say it is difficult to compare public and private salaries because of the broad range of jobs and pay in the private sector.

But even when considering specific job categories, pay for public employees has increased at a faster clip, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For example, local government managers and professionals took home 2.9 percent more in the past year, compared with 2.1 percent for private-industry workers in similar positions.

Pay for office and administrative support workers in the public sector rose by 3.2 percent, eclipsing the 2.5 percent increase in the private sector.

“Basically what you have in the city now are a bunch of older employees who are just waiting for retirement...” said Ed Lehman, business representative for AFSCME Local 127, which represents about 2,000 blue-collar city employees.

Lehman's union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, compiled a report last year that showed its average member is 47 years old.

[pepsionice]

The question is how will the state pay retirement payrolls over the next thirty years, then cover the increasing monthly payroll cost? No one can answer this. The government of California is finished. Even when the White House does bailout #1 for California...it simply buys them six months of time. They can’t fix this.

I will predict by 2020...that the state loses thirty percent of its population. Even the illegals will come to leave...when taxes go beyond an acceptable point.

[Oldexpat]

I don’t think they can tax their way out of the problem. Raising taxes will simply drive business and people from the state..or cause them to avoid taxes by going black or cheating.
These contracts and retirement plans cannot continue. Something must give.

[Bon mots]

They could fire ALL of them and nobody would notice.

[george76]

Already started.

[N3WBI3]

“I don’t think they can tax their way out of the problem. Raising taxes will simply drive business and people from the state..or cause them to avoid taxes by going black or cheating.”

That wont stop them from trying..

[SoCalPol]

$100,000 is a lot of money in most states.
In San Diego it is really $55,000 maybe less
due to the cost of living

[Bon mots]

Compensation analysts say it is difficult to compare public and private salaries because of the broad range of jobs and pay in the private sector.

Compensation Analyst = Overpaid public sector employee whose chief aim is to justify the grossly overinflated salaries of do-nothing parasitic public employees.