How Much Are State And Local Government Workers Overpaid?

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Let’s discuss the latest BLS report on employer costs with a special focus on teachers.

Employer costs from the BLS, chart by Mish

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.

What About Teachers?

Employer costs from the BLS, chart by Mish

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.

Economic Fairness

Education Week reports Biden Calls for Teacher Pay Raises, Expanded Pre-K in State of the Union

Biden called on lawmakers Thursday to “give every child a good start by providing access to pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds,” but he did not detail a specific plan to pay for universal pre-kindergarten, which he has called for in the past and included in his Build Back Better proposal that never passed the Senate.

Biden’s call for giving public school teachers a raise also included no specifics. It was included in a portion of the address focused on economic fairness, which included a push to raise taxes on the highest income earners to help cover the costs of domestic policy priorities.

There’s no better place to start when it comes to deserving teachers than the city of Chicago.

NEW: Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates says the union’s contract demands from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will cost the city more than $50 billion. ⬇️

“$50 billion dollars and three cents…”

“And so what?”

“That’s audacity.”

For context, total base tax… pic.twitter.com/EZesxJV2Xw

— Austin Berg (@Austin__Berg) March 5, 2024

And Who Will Pay?

Reminder that Davis Gates has refused to give her own members an audit of union finances for more than four years despite union bylaws requiring those audits, and hiking dues by 13%.https://t.co/ZzpNztalhY

— Austin Berg (@Austin__Berg) March 5, 2024

Chicago Teachers’ Union Seeks $50 Billion Despite $700 Million City Deficit

On March 13, I commented Chicago Teachers’ Union Seeks $50 Billion Despite $700 Million City Deficit

“Stop asking that question,” she said. “Ask another question.”

This is in a city, mind you, that already spends an astonishing $29,000 per student, including all sources and money for the capital budget. And Chicago Public Schools already faces a $391 million deficit for next and nearly $700 million for the following year when “Covid relief” money will have run out.

The only way to stop this behavior is to eliminate the public unions, totally.

Unfortunately, a corrupt Chicago mayor is in bed with the corrupt CTU. And the state is the most gerrymandered state in the nation. Springfield is in on the act.

What Are the Odds Police Show Up?

On July 2, I noted In Chicago There’s Under a 50 Percent Chance Police Show Up If You are Shot

Good luck in Chicago getting the police to show up if you are shot, stabbed, a victim of domestic violence, or any number of other serious crimes.

Don’t worry. Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson will fix the problem by hiking property taxes to give money to the Teachers’ Union.

And instead of going anything about crime, Johnson Seeks Slave Reparations.

Public Unions Have No Business Existing: Even FDR Admitted That

To understand why public unions should never exist, please see Public Unions Have No Business Existing: Even FDR Admitted That

Chicago has an amazing propensity to keep electing mayors worse than the last one. Brandon Johnson is the worst Chicago mayor ever.

In Illinois, as in California, there is really only one thing sensible you can do about this setup. Leave.