State employees sacrifice pay for better pensions

Published: Wed, July 1, 2009 @ 12:00 a.m. State employees sacrifice pay for better pensions EDITOR, One of our Youngstown members forwarded a copy of your June 26 editorial, “Budget debate shows gap between public and private.” Did the writer ever hear the adage, “You must compare apples to apples?” State employees receive their compensation in a different package than private sector employees. For the most part, state workers receive a smaller pay scale for similar work in the private sector. State workers pay into a pension system that was established prior to the federal government establishing Social Security. State workers put 10 percent of their earnings into the pension fund, and the state 14 percent. Why would the state agree to pay so much? The answer is quite simple: the 14 percent amount is a lot lower than the... [read full story]                    

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