Beating Back The Attacks On The Middle Class

[irishbobcat]

The heart of the current attacks against state and local employees is based on the false claim that these workers are advantaged relative to their private-sector peers or have somehow been cushioned from the effects of the recent recession and slow recovery.  In Wisconsin, public employees have already taken a hefty pay cut for the opportunity to serve their communities.  Public-sector workers consistently make less than their private–sector peers.  In fact, workers with a bachelor's degree or more—which constitute nearly 60% of the state and local workforce in Wisconsin—are compensated between $20,000 less (if they just have a bachelor's degree) to over $82,000 a year less (if they have a professional degree, such as in law or medicine). Nationally, the gap between the wages in the public and private sector has actually been increasing over the past few decades.   

The compensation of the people that educate our children, get us to and from work, keep the streets safe and clean, keep dangerous chemicals out of our water, and keep insurance companies from taking advantage of us are not the cause of our states' current budget problems.  Our leaders should focus on creating jobs and boosting the incomes of all Americans - not  attempt to lead a race to the bottom.