Viewpoint: Big government running like big business

As the economy falters, the layoffs and salary freezes of lower-paid employees do not work their way up the corporate ladder. Top executives and those around them are rewarded without connection to company performance or accountability to the part-time boards of directors elected by shareholders. So it goes with big business. And Louisiana state government too. As with many struggling corporations, in state agencies the current boom-to-bust cycle has hit the lower ranks harder than the top layers of management. Two recent newspaper reports reveal the divergent trends: while the numbers of lower-paid employees shrink, those of highly-paid political appointees and their salaries grow. The Advocate reports that there are over 61,000 classified Civil Service employees now – 5,000 fewer than in 2002 – earning on average about $41,000. During the same period, unclassified employees grew by 5,700 to 31,400, at an average pay of almost $61,000. Drilling deeper, the Associated Press reported that since January 2007, the Department of Education payroll has grown from $39.5 million to $47.7 million. The agency’s median salary, $60,900, increased 21 percent during that period, and annual salaries over $100,000 have gone from 7 to 18. Symbolically honoring the notion of public service, statewide-elected officials are paid modestly, all six of them. Below them is the salary bulge. To read the full column, click here.