It Doesn't Matter What You Wear, As Long As You Are There

(I saw this on my way to the bus stop.)


I went downtown Saturday to do a little marching and take some snaps. I've also been reading a lot about what's happening here so let me throw in some commentary amongst the pictures.



(Students turn off of Park Street onto Library Mall head for the Capitol.)


Thanks to Bill Lueders for his commentary on the WSJ's editorial positions on the protests. I was going to write something about Chris Rickert's columns but I was beaten to the punch. But, having been a contractor for many years that has bounced between the state and the private sector, I can offer this: it is difficult to generalize about state employees.

Rickert says:

Similarly, the pay for unionized state workers ranges from about $23,000 to into the six figures. Again, nothing special, but not exactly McDonald's either.

OK, so how many people are earning six figures? How many are earning less than $30,000? Simply giving a range isn't particularly helpful. Does anyone know the mean salary of unionized state workers? I've only seen the mean for all state employees. Even Rickert's own paper is saying that state workers earn less in total compensation than their counterparts in the private sector. That is, something like 60% of Wisconsin state employees have at least a bachelor's degree and that, out in the private sector, the college-educated earn more than do state workers.



(The Union Cab fleet parades down State Street in support of the protest.)


My own experience has primarily been with IT workers and, overall, it seems to me that state workers get paid less than their counterparts in the private world. Anecdotally, take an experienced network admin I know. Salary.com says that the average pay for this person's job here in Madison is $71,392 but, as a state employee, their salary is in the lower 25% of the pay range. Again, this is mere anecdote and I can't vouch for the accuracy of Salary.com's data, but it jibes with my experience.

Rickert is right that state employees aren't earning what McDonald's workers are but I find it sad that fast food wages seem to be his sole criterion for determining fairness for workers. When he expresses sympathy for home health-care providers, I am with him and them. But as the pay scale moves up, Rickert joins the ranks of some Walker supporters in ignoring the fact that every state worker, well, works.





I was arguing with a blogger who felt that public sector unions ought to be abolished and he compared government employees to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt in that they felt entitled. “Everyone must work for me!” he mocked. Never once did he concede that government employees generally and the state employees out marching specifically were being compensated for their labor. His characterization was simply of people who sat back in luxury collecting a paycheck from the proles in the private sector. Sadly, Rickert is taking a similar approach in characterizing state employees who make a middle class salary by merely that and ignoring the fact that they earn money for their labor.

My first assignment at a state agency was eye-opening. I recall helping a social worker with a problem she was having with Microsoft Word. Since I'd never met this person before, I started some small talk and found out the at the document she was working on related to some guy beating the shit out of his stepkid. Over the years I've met those who keep criminals and the criminally insane locked up behind bars instead of roaming the streets; people that manage the deer herds and keep state parks, snowmobile trails, etc. in good shape for citizens to enjoy. And on and on.

Most people in Wisconsin have heard stories about government waste and/or about a state employee who got away with this or that. I'm sure a lot of these stories are true and I don't doubt for a second that our state can run leaner with less waste. But to demonize state employees who earn a middle-class wage as a bunch of leeches and to ignore the fact that they too work for a living is absolutely ridiculous.







The unions have conceded Walker's proposals regarding state employees contributing or contributing more to pensions and health care. Let's run with that. The unions should not be busted. They're willing to make concessions so the Republicans should meet in the middle and move forward to address the budget problem that is Medicaid. That this is not happening should not be surprising. Walker's motto is “Wisconsin is Open for Business” and not something about lifting the whole state up. I don't think our governor has said much, if anything, that is particularly inclusive. His focus sure seems to be about pleasing the WMC. So, come on Gov. Walker - a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.









A trio of closing thoughts:

I saw some pro-Walker folks but there didn't seem to be many. At two o'clock I saw a school bus full of them leaving the Square and several others walked by me looking for their chartered bus.

Even if the bill goes passes, don't give up. It's a long row to hoe.

And lastly, The Dulcinea's mother was down at the protests and got a piece of Ian's macaroni & cheese pizza. After biting into it she said, "It's disgusting!" Further proof, as if any was needed, that I have been right all along.