As a federal employee, I completely disagree with this bogus "study." We don't make big bucks in the federal government, I assure you. Believe me, the taxpayers are getting their money's worth!
It's not the big bucks. It's the four to six weeks vacation, generous health benefits, and defined benefit pension. All benefits that largely do not exist any more in the private sector.
Describe briefly your pension. How long do you need to work to get X % of your salary?
I totally agree with the secure job part. Too secure. I could tell you stories...!
But the overpaid? Only for the ones who get to go to work and laze around. My civil service husband is a hyper workaholic who loves to get things done. and is way underpaid (abt $4-5/hr according to local studies) but stays for the job security.
I highly doubt it. The government produces precious little value for the astronomical quantities of money it spends.
The "worth" of an employee is the value they generate, and there is not much value generating going on in government these days.
If you take account of extremely generous public-sector pension plans, much more (usually) paid vacation and "personal " days, and the most guaranteed job security outside of academic tenure, public sector employees DO have a very cushy deal. Indeed, outside of "Fortune 500" companies that have relatively generous benefits, most of us in the private sector have far weaker benefits, pensions, and job (in)security than everyone that WE pay for in the public sector. Regardless of what your actual salary figures may be, you have it good, very good.
As a federal employee, I completely disagree with this bogus "study." We don't make big bucks in the federal government, I assure you. Believe me, the taxpayers are getting their money's worth!
As an active duty guy...I do too!!! I have worked with may government servants and NEVER thought that they made too much money. 100,000 average...obviously they are counting the over paid Senate and House.
Why don't you post your salary, vacation time, sick time, etc?
Let's compare salaries.
It probably varies by discipline.
But I've got two chemist friends from college that ended up with the EPA.
Compared to private industry...they are cleaning up.
Both had just a bachelors in Chemistry from a small church-affiliated college and
I doubt they could have done as well financially, given the ups and downs
of the chemical industry in the USA.
I am not trying to call you out, because I have no idea what you do, and I am sure you are worth every penny you make. But from my experience (I get to physically see the quality of work that my Government counterparts do), they are no where near as qualified as the people in my company. I don't mean to brag, but I must maintain at least a 95% perfection rate, or I could lose my job, and from the completed work that I see, from their end, if they reach a 45% correct rate it would be amazing.
That's bullcrap. Federal pensions are fantastic. Same for medical
Believe me, the taxpayers are getting their money's worth!
I guess it depends on the position and the tasks one must do but I used to pick up my hubby whenever I could get off early after working a mgt job of 10 hour per day average. If I wasn't there at 5:00pm on the dot he'd catch the bus. His job as a clerk (clerks in my work area made $15.00 per hour) paid $68,000 per year plus overtime, plus fully paid 1/2 wage retirement, plus flex time, Plus accumulated sick and vacation, plus child care, plus, plus, plus and plus. He retired at 50 and I'm still working my butt of. If I had it to do over I'd work for government. Private sec tor is way under government in compensation.
If I went out the door daily at exactly 5pm I wouldn't have a job for long.
Surely, you jest....!
What do you pay for health benefits? When I worked for the State of California it was dang near mothing. When I left, I needed a $10k/year raise just to make a lateral net move.
What about your pension plan? How long do you have to work before collecting benefits? How much as a percent of pay do you contribute? What is the payout as a percent of salary? Is the payout indexed for cost of living adjustments?
How about health insurance? What do Fed workers pay a month for a family? What are the co-pays and deductibles?
I'm not down of Fed employees by any means and think most are talented and hard working. But there are many ways to be compensated aside from take-home pay. And the fact that very few Fed employees "move on" for better pay must say something. I have never met a USPS employee who didn't hate his job with a passion, and I also don't know one who ever quit that job.
I have no doubt that you work hard. I just came off of a consulting gig with a Federal agency and previous to that I had never seen such a bunch of self-absorbed slackers in my entire life.
"We don't make big bucks in the federal government, I assure you. Believe me, the taxpayers are getting their money's worth!"
I don't know you, but I really don't have to. Chances are you are underworked, overpaid and not really qualified for the job that you compare yourself to in the private sector.
I know this to be a fact as once upon a time I was a gov't employee. That's the way it is. You best keep your mouth shut and enjoy the free ride as long as you can. Out in the real world, you'll be eaten alive.
Those who can get jobs outside of gov't often do. Those in gov't do not because they cannot. There are, of course notable exceptions, but there is really no debate necessary here. You are overpaid, underworked and the only disconnect is in your mind.
Baloney. The government is a bloated beyond belief. We could eliminate 99% of federal "jobs" (including yours) and we'd all be better off.
" I assure you. Believe me, the taxpayers are getting their money's worth!"
Gee thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about the bloated pig that is the U.S. government. :)