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Pay politics

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* Some legislators won’t be happy about voting to cut their own income today, but furlough days were approved the last two years, and the tradition of 12 days with no pay may be around for awhile…

The furloughs would cost each lawmaker more than $3,000. Legislative aides say the total savings is about $564,000.

The cuts reach $1.2 million when furloughs for other state officials are included.

This would be the third straight year lawmakers have cut their pay.

* More info…

Senate Bill 266 requires lawmakers to forfeit a day of pay each month, and it blocks their annual cost-of-living allowances, which would have been 1.1 percent in the fiscal year that starts July 1, according to a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

The bill also blocks COLAs for the governor and the other statewide elected constitutional officers and others whose pay is recommended by the Compensation Review Board, and it freezes lawmakers’ per diems at $111, the same as this year but below the $140 they got two years ago. […]

But Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, believes more can be done. McCann supports taking furlough days but would also like to see a bill passed that would cut legislative pay by at least 10 percent.

“I would even entertain a 25 percent pay cut,” he said.

There’s always at least one in the bunch.

* Speaking of pay, this seems a bit much…

Former Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis walked out with a $76,308 check for accrued vacation days when he resigned his $310,000-a-year job on March 1 — a lump-sum payment for 64 unused days that’s raising eyebrows at City Hall.

His former $168,438-a-year chief-of-staff Mike Masters left police headquarters with a check for $30,448. That’s the equivalent of 54 unused vacation days

Weis and Masters are among 1,026 city employees paid $7.4 million for their unused vacation days since September, 2010, in the transition from former Mayor Richard M. Daley to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, according to information released to the Chicago Sun-Times in response to a Freedom of Information request.

* And it’s easy to understand how this can be viewed as unfair…

Newly installed Chicago School Board members Wednesday will be asked to approve six-figure salaries for new Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and four other new top executives that represent raises over what their predecessors were paid.

The vote on whether to boost executive Chicago Public School salaries comes only a week after the same board members, in their first official action, found the deficit-ridden system did not have enough money to pay for 4 percent raises to teachers and other unionized school workers worth $100 million. […]

“It’s not a good way to start a new administration when you elevate the salary level of a lot of administrators and tell the teachers they cannot get raises without putting a plan on the table for higher performance,’’ said Andy Shaw, president of the Better Government Association.

“People who take over a struggling school system ought to implement some positive changes before they are paid higher salaries [than their predecessors]. You could argue previous salaries were too high because the performance level of the schools was dismal,’’ Shaw said.

“This will only further incense teachers.’’

* But should labor leaders’ salaries be public? I dunno…

Is this a case of good for the goose, but not for the gander?

◆ Translation: Last month, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called for “transparency” about Chicago Schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard’s salary and threatened to file a Freedom of Information request to get it.

◆ The turn of the screw: So how come Lewis’ salary is so secret?

◆ Explanation: Sneed inquired last week about her salary and was told “I don’t know,” by top Lewis spokeswoman Liz Brown. Her salary is not publicly listed, and Sneed was told: “She doesn’t have to do so.”

* Unfunded pension liabilities are only a fraction of this debt, but you better believe that’s what will be the media’s focus…

The average Chicago household now owes a staggering $63,525 to cover local government debt, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

Suburbanites are deeply in the red, too, with the average household owing $32,901, according to the treasurer.

Among the biggest reasons: $25 billion in unfunded pension liability.

In comments after an appearance Tuesday before the Civic Federation, a watchdog group that has released somewhat similar numbers in recent years, Ms. Pappas said she was “stunned” to learn that county taxpayers on the whole owe more than $108 billion toward local debt.

* Related…

* Civic Federation: City should modernize vacation pay-out policy

* Teachers to picket meeting over denial of raises

* Report: City workers required to give cars back

* Police chief: I can’t pull Ald. Ed Burke’s security detail: In the past, Burke has cited Circuit Court Judge Joseph Wosik’s 1986 decision to block the city’s attempt to cut his bodyguard detail at the time from four officers to two. Wosik upheld Burke’s argument that he was a high-profile official subject to periodic threats and that a reduction in the number of bodyguards would have stifled his opposition to Washington.

* CPS may grant residency waiver for high-ranking official

* Officials play musical chairs with city jobs

* Editorial: Cook taxpayers are on the hook for $108 billion

* Elmwood Park Leaders Get Home Improvements on Village’s Time: Silvestri admits the work on his house was completed on village time, but said he told Martorana to do the work on his own time. Once the problem was discovered, Silvestri said, the village disciplined Martorana by dipping into his following year’s vacation to pay back the time. He said he also wrote two personal checks to Martorana for the work and materials used.

* Personal financial woes on file for Cook County recorder - Moore faces foreclosure, tax liens, diminished clout

* Reciprocal Act sweetens pension pot for former state legislators

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:35 am

Comments

the Sun Times, I believe, did a story about 5 years ago (it was when Margaret Blackshere was head of the ILAFLCIO) that contained the salaries of all the labor leaders. It can be gotten. As I remember it, the salaries were pretty obnoxious. Karen Lewis hopes her salary remains secret because it will certainly be a source of intense embarrassment.

Comment by anon Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:43 am
Wow - the former Chicago Police Superintendent made $310,000?! PT Barnum once said a sucker is born every minute. In that case, Chicago has enough suckers to pay a guy that much only to watch its violent crime rates go up.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:52 am
If some State workers have to take furlough days then all State workers should have to. That is all.

Comment by Furlough Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:52 am
I agree with you on the vacation days and raises for education management, but the labor leaders should disclose what they make. This woman has a severe case of holier than thou and I would love to see what she is making for her efforts along with her top staff. You also left out that burke is getting to keep his body guards which leaves me questioning why if sitting US Senators, former governors, defense secretaries and others of much higher rank don’t need and don’t get that kind of stuff, why a mere city councilman and ex mayor need that.

Comment by shore Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:53 am
They should have asked Andy Shaw about Karen Lewis’ salary. His Payroll Database lists two Karen Lewises who work for CPS:

http://www.bettergov.org/watchdog/payroll_database.aspx

Lewis Karen Regular Teacher James B Farnsworth School $74831.077
Lewis Karen Regular Teacher KIng Selective Enrollment HS $79505.839

Comment by Elo Kiddies Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:56 am
It does come off as hypocritical to demand transparency from everyone other than yourself. Certainly the union members should be able to see what their dues are spent on.

HR practices in government agencies are so out of line with respect to private industry that it is not funny. However if someone proposes a change, they are met with howls of “that’s a takeaway!” Another example of how the government wastes money.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:58 am
this was unused vacation pay for Weis…leave him alone…he was owed this money…none of our business…

Comment by Loop Lady Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:05 am
I have no problem with the vacation pay for Weis. He earned the time and didn’t get to take it; some jobs you just never seem to be able to get the time off … so he should be paid for it.

(full disclosure: when I left the State, I was paid for 3 yrs * 5 weeks/yr = 60 days vacation time … I was earning it faster than I could use it due to continuing crises of one kind or another)

Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:10 am
Union officials salaries *are* public record (their salaries paid by the union, at least) through the Department of Labor. It’s all online in a searchable database on the DOL’s website. I don’t know how to paste the cool clickable links, but you can find it through Google.

Comment by Katiedid Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:12 am
Furlough, when you and all state workers are elected to two or four-year terms, then you can start saying you’re equal. You’re not. They’re in the Constitution. You’re not.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:24 am
– The average Chicago household now owes a staggering $63,525 to cover local government debt, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.–

That’s an old and silly reporter’s trick. Provocative, yet meaningless.

No citizen “owes” anything; no one’s in “debt.”

The governments have ongoing obligations.
You pay taxes every year (or not), and obligations are paid.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:24 am
Saying that Burke’s detail is provided pursuant to a 30 year old court order is hooey. Send some junior corporation counsel over to the Daley Center to file the motion to have the order modified or terminated. Whatever facts and circumstances that may have required giving him 4 bodyguards has surely changed since then.

Comment by Meanderthal Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:27 am
Can we ask about Andy Shaw’s take from the “corporate reformers” and how much of that is a cahritable deductions for the donors
BTW-1 Can we also wonder if the Karen Lewis paycheck affects her pension? The answer is usually “yes”
BTW-2 can we take a day off from hearing from andy Shaw until he clears up his own ethics questions ?

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:29 am
Rich, when you said “Unfunded liabilities are only a fraction of this debt”, where did you see the percentage?

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:30 am
===where did you see the percentage? ===

There’s no percentage in the story, but it’s pretty easy to calculate.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:31 am
Yeah, Meanderthal, that’ll be soooo easy. The guy has made just about every judge in the county. Plus, there was that recent “death threat” against him.

No chance, man.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:32 am
Who said Karen Lewis’ members don’t know how much she makes? Sneed is claiming the public should know. But Karen Lewis isn’t paid by the taxpayers, so if you’re not a member of the Teachers’ Union what business is it of yours how much she makes? How is it “holier than thou” or “hypocritical” to demand to see the pay of employees of CPS (i.e. Brizard), when her members’ salaries are public too?

How much does Lawrence Msall make? How much do his Board of Directors make? How much does Sneed make? They’re all being hypocritical too, I guess.

Comment by chi Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:33 am
Increases in pay, plus administrative perks, for top staff have gone way over the top in recent years. Asking teachers to sacrifice, while they continue to receive more, sets a double standard I hope the public will take notice of as this gets uglier down the road.

Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:37 am
I agree with those who feel Weis is entitled to his vacation pay. Regardless of the amount, he earned it, and couldnt use it. He should be paid for it. Case closed.

Comment by anon Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:46 am
I don’t understand the news stories about pols falling behind on their mortgage payments or property taxes. It’s one thing if you catch them deliberately not paying and getting caught, it’s another thing when they fall behind due to financial hardship. Pretty salacious and unfair, and it’s even more irritating when they get stupid quotes from the BGA about “how it doesn’t affect there job.” Well, then don’t write about it.

Comment by Bring Back Boone's Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:48 am
In other professions, you’re expected to use your vacation days, or lose them at the end of the fiscal year. You shouldn’t be allowed to cash them out, boosting pension pay if you’re retiring in some cases.

Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:50 am
“Union officials salaries *are* public record (their salaries paid by the union, at least) through the Department of Labor. It’s all online in a searchable database on the DOL’s website. I don’t know how to paste the cool clickable links, but you can find it through Google. ”

While you are right with regard to MOST union officials (for example, Tom Balanoff made $229,742 last year) it appears that Karen Lewis’ actually is not public record.

I initially thought that Sneed was just being too lazy to look up the CTU’s LM-2 federal disclosure form, which would list Lewis’ salary. But it looks like the CTU doesn’t file an LM-2. Don’t ask me how they avoid doing that, I was under the impression that all labor unions had to file that form.

Comment by so... Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:58 am
My vacation time rolls over into the next year if I don’t take it all. I’m only allowed to accumulate some much of it though before I start losing it.

Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:59 am
Katiedid: That is correct. Lewis’ CTU salary comes to about $80K (based on her predecessor’s salary in their 2010 report).

It turns out Sneed is incredibly bad at journalism. Who knew?

Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:01 am
So the Legislators are going to take 12 Furlough Days this year. Any word on what the MC employees are going to have to take?

Comment by Both Sides Now Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:02 am
They’re listed as Teacher’s AFL-CIO 310 at the DoL

Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:02 am
The more I read about Brizard and other MBA superintendents who skip from district to district like him, the more I am convinced that no good will come from his selection. What were you thinking, Rahm?

There is some really damning stuff here:
http://www.13wham.com/content/blogs/story/Chicago-Heres-Your-Guide-to-Brizard/rxoMgQsKCE6_A7XmVviXbg.cspx

Comment by Dr Kilovolt Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:06 am
so… - I think she’s in there, although I’m just a wee bit suspicious that the amount is understated. CTU is actually part of the AFT, so you have to look there.

Comment by Katiedid Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:07 am
It looks like the full-year comp for the president’s position is about 100K (98K in fiscal year 09) from the local branch and another 10K (benefits or cash, it doesnt say) from the national office. So 110K total comp.

Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:10 am
DD - sorry, I didn’t read your comments before I posted. That makes sense on the amount, then (I didn’t know when she got elected).

Comment by Katiedid Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:11 am
What I’m more curious about is who gave this to Sneed. Presumably CPS and the mayor’s people would know how much it is and where to find it.

Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:12 am
Katiedid - I did look under the AFT heading. I don’t see CTU in there.

The person who said they’re listed as Teacher’s AFL-CIO 310 is wrong. I’m not sure which union that is, but it’s based in Westmont and it doesn’t have nearly the revenues the CTU would have. Not to mention the listed President is Daniel Montgomery, not Karen Lewis.

Comment by so... Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:25 am
Can anyone tell me why Karen Lewis’ salary matters to anyone that is not in her union?

Comment by chi Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:25 am
so….:

It may well be there is another fiscal entity that represents CTU but the AFL entity is definitely the same one. Look in their report’s expenditures, they include line-items specifically referencing CTU. Additionally, that is the only result for officer searches for both Lewis and her predecessor, Marilyn Stewart.

Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:28 am
Use them or lose them.

Comment by A Different Belle Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:32 am
-Use them or lose them-

It rhymes, so it must be wise, right?

Comment by chi Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:41 am
Musical chairs story, it’s nice that the big wigs in the Mayor’s administration all seemed to be taken care of, but I worry about the people who worked for the big wigs and did all the actual work and don’t have “sponsors” to take care of them. What happens to those public servants?

Comment by Not a Newcomer Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:45 am
The DoL database is somewhat strangely organized, but all the information is there. It’s a public record, and unions have to disclose more information about staff salaries than just about any other entity.

As for the bigger picture: it’s troubling to see the Emanuel administration bringing the same mindset to city government that has caused a huge rearrangement in wealth in this country. Cut scheduled raises, but increase compensation and privileges for top management. It’s a big reason why the United States has a more unequal income distribution than Nigeria, Nicaragua, or Cambodia.

Comment by The Other Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 1:21 pm
=== It does come off as hypocritical to demand transparency from everyone other than yourself. ===

LOL.

Right. Because the real hypocrisy hear isn’t the CPS administration giving themselves raises during a self-proclaimed “fiscal crisis” that forced pay freezes for teachers and will also mean cuts in the classroom.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 1:30 pm
@chi -

Because they’re trying to distract folks from the pay raises for administrators.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 1:31 pm
And just to pile on Sneed: not only are union officials’ salaries public records through the LM-2, the Sun Times itself has a database of every teachers’ salary in the state of Illinois here: http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/5679128-418/illinois-teacher-and-administrator-salaries.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4ded33f0f45a8670%2C1&appSession=072231114301094

Karen Lewis earned just over $85,000 from teaching in 2010. As Dirt Digger said, who knew Sneed was bad at journalism?

Comment by The Other Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 1:47 pm
Re: Unfunded local government liabilities

Actually, there’s a whole lot more to this story. The root cause of all of this comes from several GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) ‘Statements’, which really function more as ‘rules’ to be followed.

Specifically, GASB 45 and the newer GASB 50 (changes to prior GASB 25 & GASB 27). GASB 50 is about accounting for employee pension/retirement costs, and GASB 45 is about accounting for retiree non-pension costs (see “Healthcare”).

Prior to these ‘rules’, there rarely existed any detailed information on what the total accrued liabilities were for both retiree pensions, and retiree non-pension costs over an extended time period (more than 1 or 2 years).

Well, the now required GASB reporting is at least one potential source of the materials/information cited by Maria Pappas.

Without going into extreme detail, it’s likely that the numbers (if they came out of the GASB ‘rules’) are still likely to understate the total impact of all this outstanding local government indebtedness.

Maria Pappas just laid down a marker - she’s telling us there’s likely problems ahead. It’s been a while, but I remember that all units of local governments within a County could only have long term indebtedness (specially, non alternate revenue bonded indebtedness) up to a certain percentage of property tax based revenues. I know that some bond rating houses will take that information into account when rating bond issues and institution credit ratings.

Issue is, that if the percentage is increasing (indebtedness is increasing/stationary, while property tax base is decreasing), well, that’s going to be really bad news.

Comment by Judgment Day Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 2:28 pm
@teamsleep

Weis was hired to be CPD superintendent and emergency operations center director before Daley stripped him of the latter title after some crowing.

Also, violent crime rates from Jody Weis’ start to finish were down overall. The man might not have shaped the media narrative, but that’s no excuse for you to perpetuate memes.

Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 2:50 pm
==Wordslinger, “That’s an old and silly reporter’s trick. Provocative, yet meaningless. No citizen “owes” anything; no one’s in “debt.” The governments have ongoing obligations. You pay taxes every year (or not), and obligations are paid.”==

Yes they are ongoing obligations, but when they are that large at the local level, the debt service, even spread out, takes up a staggering amount of the tax revenue before ongoing operational costs are met. Worse, most local governments are increasing their debts through either additional borrowing or continued underfunding of pensions.

Comment by Shemp Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 3:24 pm
Wensicia, under the rules I worked, you could “carry” two years of vacation time plus the current year’s vacation credit. If you had more than 2 yrs credit on the books at the end of the year, you lost it.

Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 6:05 pm
The other anon, would you prefer to live in Nigeria where the difference between the haves and have nots is indistinguishable? Don’t forget to send a postcard.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:16 pm
How is any of this a “cut” in legislators’ pay, which is supposed to be a part-time job anyway? They forego a pay increase,which is another way of saying “no raise” and they take furlough days off with no pay. A true “cut” would be doing the same work for the same number of days at a reduced rate of pay, and that certainly isn’t the case here.

Comment by The Whole Truth Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 9:17 pm
Anon, the point is that in look at income inequality, we DO live in Nigeria. (For source freaks, I am using the CIA’s calculation of the GINI coefficient.). And you must never have been to a developing country, because the difference between the haves and have nits is immediately visible — think Mercedes automobiles sharing a road with horse drawn vehicles.

And before anyone says that this is America hating: I think it is hating America to ignore our problems. I want the US to actually be number one, and our world ranking for income inequality is shameful. We should be at the top, with countries like Denmark, the UK, Canada, and Japan. Instead we’re just behind Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Comment by The Other Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 10:49 pm
If Weiss could carry over 39 days, how is it that he “earned” 25 more days (his annual amount) for working just 3 months this year. That’s a bit bogus.

Comment by weiss Wednesday, Jun 22, 11 @ 11:35 pm
The Whole Truth, go read SB266. It directs the comptroller to reduce lawmakers’ pay. “furlough” is just a buzz word these days. It’s not like a Sen or Rep calls their leader and says, Hey, I’m gonna take my furlough day next Thursday I’ll reflect that on my time card.
Rather, Judy Topinka simply cuts their pay by about 4.6 percent.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Jun 23, 11 @ 7:30 am