Re: Moscow city salaries

[Bill London <london@moscow.com>]

My thanks to Priscilla for bringing this issue forward.
As I read the same Daily News article, I was struck by the comparison made
regarding the proposed "executive compensation plan."
This plan was compared to the packages of perks and pensions offered to
corporate CEO's.
I certainly agree with that comparison, and would have hoped that we all would
have learned how bogus those CEO packages are.  Has everyone forgotten the
scams and scandals of Enron et al?
The growing gap nationwide between compensation for executives and
compensation for workers, and the mammoth settlements for executives that
destroy the companies and workers' savings plans, have both resulted from
these sweetheart deals between executives and the boards that are supposed to
oversee those executives.
Is it possible that the same kind of sweetheart deals are happening here?
Does Moscow have a problem with executive turnover?
Is the Council watching out for the best interests of the city or the majority
of city employees?
In what other government or business are executives paid for overtime work or
are executives expected to complete their work in whatever time it takes?
BL

Priscilla Salant wrote:

> Visionaries,
>
> Thanks to the Daily News for covering the 9/30/02 Council deliberations
> about employee salaries and benefits.  I would appreciate a follow-up
> article with the following information:
>
> What cities were compared with Moscow to determine market rates for public
> employees?
>
> What positions -- and which employees -- would be covered under the
> proposed "executive compensation plan"?
>
> How does the Council justify leaving lower paid employees at wages less
> than market rate, and increasing compensation to higher paid employees to
> "keep our best folks"?
>
> Will the Council consider splitting off the merit-based salary proposal
> (which is a superb idea), from the exec compensation plan (which sounds a
> little fishy)?
>
> Are copies of the consultants' report available to the public?
>
> Priscilla Salant