By: Mark Glennon*
I guess I’ll just let you browse through the database of City of Chicago salaries linked here and let you think what you want. Keep in mind, however, that salaries shown don’t include pensions or other benefits.
You can access other views and menus by following the directions on the database homepage linked here.
Thanks to the reader who suggested I post this. His email to me says the kind of thing that’s so common in Chicago: “My neighbor is a ‘supervisor’ and gets paid 105K a year to stand around with a clipboard and shoot the breeze.”
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints. Opinions expressed are his own.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Does the profusion of identical last names point to a form of nepotism in the hiring process?
Have to be the highest paid secretaries in the nation. What is Intergovernmental administrator? What is administrator for cultural affairs?
According to the database, no one works part-time. Sort salary from lowest to highest, and you see folks with a “full-time” salary that comes out to $10-13/hr. How is that possible? Let’s take one example near the bottom:
Steven Spagnolo, Aldermanic Aide, $24,000. According to Linkedin, his employer is “Field Organizer for Garcia for Chicago through MoveOn at MoveOn.org” although he’s listed as Michele Smith’s communication person. How can he work full-time for both (or another job since I assume “Garcia for Chicago” is over)?
The Chicago Data Portal figures also do not include overtime.
Which is huge. Thanks.
or even more sickening, the enumerable multitude of ways you can take time off (sick days, comp time, FMLA days, 10 month sabbaticals for CPS teachers, and on and on) and then turn around and work a ton of overtime. would the city ever tell the public how many days are worked on average per employee by dept?–No way
I’m tempted to look up all my city worker neighbors, but would only get me angrier & angrier–wife says leave it alone, so I do.
Just look up all the retirees on the bettergov.org pension database. Amazing what your neighbors are making. My next door neighbor is a retired pencil pusher, her job consisted of filling out forms, and this year her pension is over $72K. That’s outrageous for unskilled labor. The web site will ask you to sign up after you look up 5 records, just type any email address-theyu never confirm it.
http://www.bettergov.org/pension-database