Do you think most public workers are overpaid?

Generally, no. If the federal government is any example lower graded positions are paid somewhat more than their counterpart in the private sector, while higher graded positions and skills are not compensated as well within the federal ranks.

No I think most CEO's and most Governors are overpaid.

It seems that when the economy is good, private sector employment is much more lucrative, but when the economy tanks, the public slice of employment seems far better. The reason is that the private employers are quick to react to bad times by paring benefits, decreasing hours, eliminating overtime while assigning extra work, and laying off large numbers of workers. The public sector is years slower in adopting these measures - so while private sector workers are seeing their pay shrink, their hours increasing for no extra money etc, etc, etc.....the public sector employees are largely immune.

That is not to say there are not layoffs and reductions in the public sector - there are. But they represent a much smaller proportion. In my town, the DPW has eliminated a position, leaving two highly paid equipment operators without a job.

The town is keeping them on the payroll - saying that to lay them off would only save the community $15,000 because they would be able to get unemployment for some 96 weeks - so they will be kept around in case they are needed somewhere else in the village! Two issues pop out at me. 1.

The men are being kept on the books because they would be collecting unemployment for 96 weeks. This supposes that these workers are of so little value that they cannot find another job in a whole year and a half!2. To lay them off would only save $15,000.

The last time I checked, that was still a fair piece of money. Enough to give back one dollar to each citizen in the community. And what if 15 or 20 town departments could each save 15 or 20 thousand dollars.It would begin to add up to some real money.

But what the heck...it's only 15 thousand dollars of the public's money.

Public sector workers have been paid much more relative to private sector workers since the year 2000 onwards. In the 1990's, the trade off for public sector work was modest pay with high benefits, while private pay was simply high pay. But a lot of this math was based on the booming 90's where corporations were dishing out 100K to anyone who could use a computer.

The public sector has yet to adjust and it hasn't adjusted since. The same is happening in Canada as well. Today, the only solid middle class jobs left that I see are in the public sector.

Maybe we shouldn't be asking ourselves so much if the public sector is overpaid, but why has the private sector failed?

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/pr... two links may help shed a little light or truth on the subject...

No! I don't think most public workers are overpaid. I know they are overpaid.

The simple fact is exactly the same job in the public sector as opposed to the private sector is a cakewalk for the simple fact they only have to provide a fraction of the output and performance. Of course this is a generalization, but still its a fact in point. This is why public sector jobs are so sought after.

Because you get more pay, more benefits for less work! Its easy for someone to say that no they are not when they them self are a public sector worker.

I work for the state of Arkansas and I am NOT overpaid!

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.