Excerpt from "Municipal Employee Compensation in NYC"
| | While some columnists and politicians have painted public sector employees as "the new fat cats" or the "new privileged class," the public at large appears to see public sector compensation in a more nuanced light. For example, according to a poll published by Rasmussen Reports, 59 percent of Americans think that the average government worker earns more annually than the average taxpayer. About 51 percent of poll respondents think that government workers are paid too much, while 39 percent think they're paid too little or about right. When asked how government workers are paid relative to comparable private sector workers, only 46 percent believe they are paid more, while 32 percent believe they are paid the same or less. Moreover, 71 percent believe that government workers should be paid the same as comparable workers in the private sector, and when asked whether they would support a plan to cut the pay of all non-military federal workers by 10 percent, more respondents opposed than favor the idea.
Compensation practices differ among the federal government, the various states, and the thousands of county and local governments across the country. Hundreds of occupational categories are involved, many of which have no direct private-sector equivalents. When compensation is defined to include wages, health insurance, sick time, vacation time, and retirement and other non-wage benefits, quantitative comparisons become exceedingly difficult to make.
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Dear Ralph,
We at RPEA extend good wishes to you for a happy and healthy Easter or Passover.   |
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Health Protection Bill, S.4515, is sponsored by Senator Jack Martins from Mineola in Nassau County
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RPEA strongly supports S.4515 and A.6536 This bill would prohibit the diminution of the health insurance benefits that a public employer provides to its retirees and their dependents, including contributions made for such coverage, unless a corresponding diminution of benefits or contributions is made to the level of benefits or contributions provided to active employees of such public employer.
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 | Changes Which May Impact You | |
Gov. Cuomo has just negotiated a tentative contract agreement with one of the state's smaller unions, including some potentially significant labor concessions.
Based on the governor's press release, key aspects of the deal with Law Enforcement Council 82 include the following:
- an increase in employee share of health insurance premiums, from 10 percent to 20 percent for individual coverage, and from 25 percent to 35 percent for family coverage;
- new co-pays for hospital services and medical visits, and encouragement of mail-order prescription drug refills;
- a reduction in the amount of sick time that can be credited to health insurance for retired employees
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We at RPEA know that changes are coming, all we ask is that nobody takes draconian action to in effect disenfranchise us. We are ready, willing and able to be part of the solution.
Sincerely,
Retired Public Employees Association |
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Retired Public Employees Association 
