Regarding Connecticut state employees who received the largest compensations in 2009, as reported in the May 9, 2010 Republican American some startling facts can be determined. Beyond the conclusion that many, and judging by the budget, if not all state workers cost the taxpayers dearly for their excessive salaries and benefits, one could also suspect the veracity of such remuneration’s as reported!
Looking beyond the obvious I decided to compute hours worked for the top 50 recipients, as listed in Sunday’s article. Not being privy to the actual worker’s contracts I made some assumptions and the exact figures may be more or less. However my assumptions are valid for private industry and one should also note; in the private sector department heads and many other top salaried positions are overtime exempt and are not compensated for such performance. Giving the benefit of the doubt I also gave the greatest weight to the most costly overtime in my calculations assuming the employees had worked every Sunday and every holiday as well. My assumptions being:
ï‚· Hourly rate is based on a 35 hour work week.
ï‚· Regular overtime is computed at time and one-half for hours worked over 7 in a day or 35 per week.
ï‚· Each person worked 50 Sundays for 7 hours at double time
ï‚· Each person worked every holiday (15) for 7 hours at double time and one-half.
ï‚· Each received 2 weeks vacation
ï‚· Each took 5 sick days
Calculations using those assumptions indicates number 1 on the list, Edward A. Blanchette’s base pay is $83.11 per hour, he must have worked for 71 hours every week including every Sunday and every holiday logging 1,454 regular overtime hours and 455 premium overtime hours for 1,909 overtime hours in total to reach his compensation level!
Looking at number 2, Suzanne E. Ducate, her base pay is $107.71 per hour “earning” a total of $411,862.36 which is $215,838.22 more than her base salary of $196,024.14. Ms. Ducate must have worked 56 hours every week for 694 regular overtime hours plus 455 hours of premium overtime on every Sunday and holiday totaling 1,145 overtime hours to achieve that level of compensation!
It doesn’t look any better by number 50 at the bottom of the list, Sivaprasad V. Katrapati, who was paid a total of $181,257.55 including overtime, has a base salary of $41.06 per hour. By private sector compensation norms this person must have worked 64 hours every week racking up 1088 regular overtime hours on top of 455 hours of premium overtime by working every Sunday’s and holiday for a grand total of 1,543 overtime hours in order to reach that amount.
Does anyone else see a problem with those numbers, where’s the oversight, do those figures make sense given the bloated numbers of state employees? Let’s not forget when OUR (taxpayer) employees retire their retirement is based on total compensation which includes overtime and unused sick days, and lets not forget their gold plated benefits. The solution of the public employee union leadership is for the private sector to exact the same usury from their employers instead of “depriving state workers”! Were private companies subject to the same compensation and benefits our overpaid and under worked state employees receive there wouldn’t be any left, then how would government meet it’s payroll and who would be left to tax?
If anyone wishes to determine other compensations using the same assumptions here is a link to my spreadsheet
I call upon the voters of this state to clean house in November and elect those willing to legislate the union contracts void, reduce their numbers and compensation to sustainable levels, eliminate the vast majority of entitlements and restore the state to a sound financial footing, otherwise may God help us.
