Anchorage voters, please vote yes on Municipal Proposition 1 (AO 37). It is designed to authorize the mayor and the Assembly to get municipal employees compensation in line with the private sector. It may need some amendments but it is in substance solid. A no vote by the public will send the message of "carry on."
About two months ago, there was an insert in this newspaper that laid out the compensation for all the municipal employees. It gave the name, position, regular pay, overtime, benefits and total compensation for all municipal employees with compensation over $50,000. The remaining 15 percent of municipal employees making below $50,000 were just listed in four brackets. I hope you all reviewed that pamphlet. If not, you can still view it online or call the Alaska Policy Forum at 334-5853 and make arrangements to pick up a copy.
After a review of the actual compensation paid in calendar year 2013, you will conclude the municipal employees are largely overcompensated compared to what we in the private sector receive for similar work. The compensation package is particularly out of line in benefits and overtime.
The city had approximately 3,000 full-time employees. Two thousand five hundred and sixty-one employees (85 percent) were compensated more than $50,000; 1,977 employees (65 percent) more than $100,000; 888 employees (30 percent) more than $150,000, and 116 employees (4 percent) more than $200,000.
The highest compensation was $295,000.
The high compensation did not go to the executives who are responsible for management. The chief executive of the city, the mayor, is the 375th highest compensated, at $175,000. The highest compensated executive was the head of ML&P, and he was the 240th highest paid. There were five other executives paid more than the mayor.
The police chief was the 598th highest paid, with total compensation of $160,000. There were 385 firefighters and police officers who made more money than the fire chief or the police chief. A tree trimmer for ML&P was compensated $190,000. Several bus drivers made more than $130,000. One could go on and on. I suggest you look up a city employee who does similar work to what you do and see how his or her compensation compares to yours.
It s always difficult to get payroll and benefits fair and proper for public employees. In the private sector, you have adversarial relationships between management and unions on compensation. In government, that adversarial relationship does not exist between elected officials and unions. That's why the Alaska Policy Forum published the 2013 calendar year compensation. It's important that the public be aware of the compensation schedule, so that they can hold their elected officials' feet to the fire if necessary. Payroll is the biggest item in the operating budget.
The unions, of course, want you to vote no. They are trying to pull our heartstrings over the dedication and bravery of our police and firefighters. That's unfortunate. I think all our people have the greatest respect for our police and firefighters, and all our city employees, for that matter. We do not need, however, to have such a distorted and expensive compensation program. The citizen taxpayer, private worker and voter also deserve respect.
The police and firefighters say that you can expect many in their ranks will resign for any lesser compensation, and nobody will apply to fill their shoes. I don't believe that. No one will quit such a well-compensated position. I remember when I was mayor, we generally had more than 1,000 applicants for every opening for 25 police officers. Police and firefighters do quit to retire at an early age due to the substantial early retirement benefits.
If you think the compensation schedule for all municipal employees is properly in line, then vote no. If you think it needs realignment, then vote yes.
Tom Fink is a former mayor of Anchorage (1987-1994) and former speaker of the state House of Representatives.
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