Posted on 06/03/2002 3:36:15 PM PDT by grimalkin
WASHINGTON, Jun 03, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- The president of the American Federation of Teachers was paid more than six times the salary of a big-city school teacher, according to financial reports the government is making available on the Internet for the first time.
One of several union presidents who reported six-figure incomes in 2000, AFT President Sandra Feldman was paid $337,282, according to financial information the union filed with the Labor Department. Her salary jumps to $523,090 when allowances and business expenses were added. The union counted 706,973 members that year.
Her pay compares with the average $51,955 a year earned in 2001 by a big-city school teacher with a master's degree at top scale, according to AFT's Web site.
Feldman's salary "is definitely more than a teacher would make, but it is commensurate with organizations of our size and influence, both labor organizations and otherwise," said AFT spokesman Alex Wohl.
Wohl said despite what the union reported, Feldman's base salary is about $265,000, because some fringe benefits weren't broken out on the reporting form, such as commuting costs between her two residences.
Unions are required to file financial reports annually with the Labor Department. That information, including union bylaws and constitutions, always has been available to the public but not as readily. Access required a trip to a public disclosure room in the agency or at one of its field offices and payment of a fee for copies.
The Bush administration has made available online financial reports for 2000 and later, which are free, searchable by union name, file number, affiliation or location. Users also can conduct searches for union officers and employees. Reports filed before 2000 are available at the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
The Associated Press examined the latest reports online for 10 labor groups, including the labor federation AFL-CIO and the national headquarters for some large and well-known unions.
All the unions AP checked paid their presidents six-figure salaries. The International Association of Fire Fighters, with 241,933 members, paid then-president Alfred Whitehead $166,887 in 2000. That increased to $291,307 when business disbursements were added. Current President Harold Schaitberger, who took office August 2000, was paid $15,172 for his partial term, increased to $21,316 with business disbursements.
Union presidents' salaries may seem high compared with what their rank-and-file members make, but a better barometer is the pay of corporate executives, said Teamsters' spokesman Bret Caldwell.
"There's just no comparison," Caldwell said. "Corporate salaries are so bloated that they're beyond reason."
Teamsters President James P. Hoffa was paid $228,713 in 2000. Allowances and disbursements increased the figure to $262,200. The Teamsters reported 1.4 million members.
That compares with the $1.1 million base salary that the former chairman and chief executive of United Parcel Service was paid in 2001 before retirement. The Teamsters are negotiating with UPS for a new contract. James P. Kelly, who retired from UPS in January, also was paid $462,600 in bonuses and $53,967 in other compensation.
The president of the Air Line Pilots Association ranked second in salary to the teachers' union in AP's spot check. President Duane Woerth was paid $313,392 in 2000. His salary jumped to $425,090 with allowances and disbursements. ALPA reported 49,224 members.
The president of the AFL-CIO, which has 66 affiliate unions with 13.2 million members, was paid $225,000 in 2000. John Sweeney's salary increased to $279,826 with disbursements.
The largest union in the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union with 1.8 million members, paid its president $190,561 in 2000. President Andrew Stern's salary increased to $241,589 with allowances and disbursements.
Another of the largest unions in the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees with 1.3 million members, paid its president $267,245 in 2000. President Gerald McEntee's income increased to $364,445 with allowances and business disbursements.
In other unions:
-Morton Bahr, president of the Communications Workers of America with 617,881 members, was paid $155,597 in 2000, or $179,267 with extras.
-The United Steelworkers of America, which counted 612,157 members in 2000, paid then-President George Becker $135,613, and $175,087 with disbursements.
-The American Postal Workers, with 312,487 members in 2000, paid then-president Moe Biller $130,988, or $142,038 with business expenses. Current president Bill Burrus, who served as vice president in 2000, was paid $114,061 that year, or $116,848 with business disbursements.
On the Net: The Labor Department site: http://union-reports.dol.gov
SICKENING!!!
I feel so warm inside...
Heck, I bet the union workers are rallying right now to demand thier dues be raised in order to support the cause.
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