For years, people groused about the high taxes in my town, so the Budget Committee Chair, at the time, asked me (knowing I was a “data guy”) to look into it – so I did. The comparison was against the 30-odd other towns that were “close enough” in size and population to make reasonable estimates for the 25 or so job descriptions.
I posted the results on GilfordGrok at the time so that EVERYONE could see not just the results but all the work and sources that went into it; I basically challenged people to pick it apart. From memory, I think only two points were made, and they were transposed digits.
The results showed that for just about every job description, Gilford paid more than most, placing either first, second, third, or fourth – except for the DPW folks—their union reps were rotten negotiators, and most other towns’ DPWs paid much better. That report circled around the towns surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee for years!
It became clear that the old idea that the private sector paid better for TOTAL compensation had been flipped on its head. Government, by far, was much more expensive than the equivalent private sector jobs sharing the same descriptions. And in the intervening decade and a half, it hasn’t changed much.
At the general level (reformatted, emphasis mine):
Employer Cost Synopsis
- Government Wages Plus Benefits: $61.27
- Private Wages and Benefits: $43.78
- Government Wages: $37.90
- Private Wages: $30.76
Government hourly wages are 23.2 percent more than private workers on average. Benefits are the real killer. Government total compensation is 39.9 percent more than private workers.
Now do teachers:
Teachers make $37.90 per hour in direct wages. But they make a whopping $79.38 per hour in total benefits. Benefits for teachers are a mere 109 percent of wages.
However, while I mentioned my hamlet (and I wish I hadn’t deleted GilfordGrok years ago), they were pikers compared to the socialist Chicago Teachers Union—$50 billion dollars. Now, go ask those teachers how many of their students can read and do math at the Proficient level, and don’t be drinking hot liquids when you find out.
