.
He was a 40-something MBA with a good 6 figure job that allowed him to work out of his home a great deal of time, giving him flexibility to attend his son’s 4 PM sports games and be home for family dinners. Then the recession hit, and he found himself unemployed. After months with only a few interviews and no job offers, he thought that since there is all this talk about government employees making more than the private sector, he would check out government jobs.
Well, he found that he would have to shoot for an entry level job below 6 figures and hope that over years he could compete successfully for promotions and just maybe someday get back into the 6 figure league. Desperate, he decided to give it a shot, applying for federal level jobs in several locations in Southern California. After months of effort, he was hired and began work in a federal office handling government contracts about an hour commute from his house.
He found out that he would have to pay for his own parking, not like his private sector job where parking was free. And that free coffee and bottled water he had become accustomed to in his private sector job? Forget it – Uncle Sam does not spend taxpayer money for such frills! After 6 months maybe there will be some telecommuting allowed, but for now it is a be in the office at 8AM and leave at 5 PM job. Tack on an hour to an hour a half commute each way and it becomes a 10-11 hour day.
At this point he views his federal job as a Godsend to bring a paycheck back into his house, though much smaller than what he had brought home from the private sector. As for that picture of government employees making more than their counterparts in the private sector – it looks like a myth to him. He has not experienced a bomb scare yet, but his fellow workers say he can count on one being phoned into the building every now and then. He understands that about a month ago a bullet hole pierced a 4th floor window – it is gang territory about a block away and he has been told that once winter comes to avoid that street when walking the 5 blocks to his parking spot after work.
At least there is a drinking fountain though, and July 4 is a paid holiday!
I thought this was going to go in a diffeent direction. He then runs for City Council. Once on the City Council, he befriends a buddy on the Board of Supervisors. In exchange for political favors, this new buddy then gives him a new cush job working for the County (well working might be too harsh – lets say put on the payroll), lets say in the Public Works Department. He now is what is called a double dipper; getting two salaries and two retirements (or one retirement accruing twice as fast at a much higher rate). He also now gets two car allowances (being a councilman and a county executive manager) and an additional 401k retirement at tax payer expense. As an added perk, he is allowed to sexually harrass and promote in exchange for sexual favors from all the femal workers in this new department. All is well and he lived happily ever after.
Oh, I’ll be telling THAT story very soon – within the week.
fred great post lets add that he can work in the prison , get paid as soon as he pulls into the parking lot , or maybe a police officer and get paid for washing his car , or like a teacher file a lawsuit get paid while waiting in a room every day . knowing it will take about 5 years for your case to be heard .. along with all the other perks form what you posted ..
No, I believe Fred is speaking about somebody specific. NOT a typical public employee.
if so then im sorry.. i dont know this person.. i thought it was a typical public employee ..
Carlito’s Way?
hey call me dude, whereve you been
Ho and when he retires, he will disclaim ever taking any sick time and or vacation time and the County will cash him out of all his time for half a million dollars. Of course he might go out on strees leave retirement so half of it will be tax free.
Very good Fred. It only works around here for the few annointed ones who of course are Republicans. But, you need to wait and finish the story – when we know if there are indictments, convictions, and jail sentences. Hopefully there will be more to this story.
I guess I missed the part of story that described his new, defined benefit pension in place of his old 401(k) that hadn’t appreciated a nickel in the last ten years. Or the part about four weeks of “annual leave” per year. Or the generous PPO health plan with a tiny premium and a small co-pay.
His smaller paycheck was a function of having to start out at the bottom of the public employee union ladder, a system that rewards longevity over ability.
The long commute and unsavory neighborhood? Facts of life for millions of non-government workers everywhere.
Boohoo.
I had several people who currently work for the County in mind when I made the above comment, though kind of a mixture of all of them. I should have also included the Williams factor – get paid for months at a time from the County when you are off working your part-time job in Orlando. It was a good gig until the Great Vernster helped make a Maukery of the whole situation and the BOS got tired of all the bad press and took him out!
I agree, most of the stories here need to be picked up on a higher level. However, keep in mind, that at some point, the County will tire of Vern and offer him a nice position somewhere in the County as Information Officer of some sort making over six figures and a nice retirement of his own. Its how it works (look at Kimberly Edds from OCR who now works for the Sheriff’s Union and her predecessor who is the spokewoman for Orange County Employees ASSociation).
But come now, Fred. All of your tales are off topic. “OVer But Not Out” is trying to describe a low-level hard-working public employee, and giving the lie to right wingers who portray them as overpaid pampered slackers. I KNOW that you know (or knew) plenty of them. This story isn’t about Williams and Bustamante.
PS I have a plan for when the county offers me 6 digits. When that happens … keep your eyes peeled for a new anonymous voice in the blogsophere, more scathing than ever!
Sorry Vern, I forgot to take my meds this morning. You know how I get!