Law-Forums.org

[edmondo93]

Including benefits they get exactly twice as much. Plus bonuses.

The federal workforce has become an elite island of secure and high-paid workers, separated from the ocean of average American workers competing in the global economy. It is time for some restraint. Federal wages should be frozen or cut, overly generous federal benefits should be overhauled, and the federal workforce downsized through program terminations and privatization.

It is unfair to ask taxpayers to foot an ever-increasing bill for federal workers, especially when private-sector compensation has not kept pace.
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When benefits such as health care and pensions are included, the federal compensation advantage over private workers is even larger.
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In 2010, federal worker compensation averaged $126,141, or double the private-sector average of $62,757. The average federal compensation has grown rapidly over the last decade.

.Update: May 16, 2012

"Federal workers raking in millions in bonuses, new database shows"
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A new in-depth database of federal worker salaries shows the government paid out a whopping $105 billion in salaries last year for most of its civilian workforce -- to boot, the workers got $439 million in bonuses.

The database also shows the government has been liberally handing out bonuses, with many in the ten-of-thousands-of-dollars range. The top bonus in the Justice Department was $37,505.
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Not bad for government work. What will you, as a civilian, do with your $30,000 bonus?


http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/overpaid-federal-workers

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/16/federal-workers-raking-in-millions-in-bonuses-new-database-shows/

[sceley]

So you're for class warfare, right?

[bedyw25]

Excellent comparison Foxnews made, where they compared average of everybody (which includes 7-11 employees etc...) to typically management jobs. Don't get me wrong, I believe they are overpaid (specifically on bennies), but this is an inflammatory study, where data is cherry picked. NOT "fair and balanced". Most government jobs require a university degree, the same can't be said when averaging the rest of the country.

[felabeorbt]

Not all Federal employees fall into the ranges you suggest. The civilian workforce includes elected representatives and appointed justices, which skew the figures quite a lot.

[sheridan93]

It's not true, however, that when you compare the same jobs in the same city that it's this way.

Federal salaries look higher because they are in more expensive locations (like Washington, DC), they skew heavily to white color jobs, and require a higher level of education.

FYI, Federal salaries have been frozen. Benefits have been cut. And the Federal workforce is smaller now than it's been in a long time.

Also, turns out that outsourcing to the private sector can be more expensive for the taxpayer. For example, it costs over $500,000 to get a senior project manager from a private sector contractor. The same job would be $120,000 (plus benefits) for a Federal employee. Even with those benefits, it'll cost much more to go to the private sector.

Most Federal workers do not get bonuses.

UPDATE: "The city of Houston Texas and Harris county published all salaries in 2008"

I notice that you switched from Federal workers to city and county workers. Just so that you know, Federal salaries/benefits and state/local salaries/benefits work on very different systems.

[wilbart]

Also are you aware that out of the millions employed by the federal government less than 5% are ever terminated...for ANY THING...just like in the private sector huh...

[benon]

No.