EFF's Election Report ·
Gonzales Letter ·
Welfare Reform ·
Boeing Contract ·
Budget & Taxes ·
Business Climate ·
K-12 Fact Sheet ·
EFF Health Study ·
Paycheck Protection ·
Transportation ·
Unemployment Ins. ·
Receive Updates ·
Bookmark EFF ·
Contribute ·
EFF in the News ·
How Can I Help? ·
Join EFF ·
Media Center ·
POLICY HIGHLIGHTER
 Volume 12, Number 2 State payroll continues to grow Locke hires an additional 10,000 full-time equivalent positions While Washington’s business climate suffers and the unemployment rate climbs, one source of employment remains secure: working for the state. In fact, while many state industries have suffered under massive layoffs, the total number of state employees has grown at a faster rate than state population since 1994. In 1994, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) reported that the state employed 108,595 people. In 2000, the official count – after a rigorous, three-month accounting ordeal – was 169,712 employees. Whether the state payroll has really grown by more than 60,000 employees since 1994, or whether the true number of state employees has been under-reported all these years is unclear. When the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) asked for an accounting of state employees, it became painfully obvious that no one really knew the answer. Procedures for counting and monitoring state employment were flawed to the point of being useless and numerous errors were discovered. It took three grueling months for EFF to work with OFM and come up with an actual head count, based on actual earnings, of state workers employed in 2000. It is, of course, impossible to travel back in time and perform the same head count on the state’s 1994 employment rolls, so any comparisons must be made between the actual 2000 count – which includes "off budget" employees who are paid from various revenue sources – and OFM’s 1994 count as reported in its Personnel Detail Report. These difficulties and the inability to obtain a clear and accurate count of how many employees taxpayers are compensating underscores the lack of accountability in state government. In addition to job security and growing employment rolls, state workers have done well financially. The average full-time equivalent (FTE) salary increased by 23 percent between 1994 and 2000. As of 2000, the average FTE salary was nearly $10,000 more than the average per capita income for the state. In 1994, OFM reported 89,574 FTEs earning an average salary of $34,651. Factoring in benefits, total average compensation for FTEs was $43,871. At the time, Washington’s average per capita income was $22,948. In 2000, OFM reported 99,929 FTEs earning an average salary of $41,018 and average total compensation of $50,961. By 2001, average total compensation had risen to $53,437. While per capita income is not yet available for 2001, average income in 2000 was $31,129. Here is how the numbers break down: Number of FTEs per citizen Number of state employees (full & part-time) per citizen Number of state employees who earn $70,000 or more annually Average FTE salaries and total compensation Average increase in FTE salary and compensation between 1994-2001 Cumulative state employee salaries Cumulative FTE salaries Cumulative FTE compensation These numbers show that state government is growing out-of-control. If legislators want to rein in state spending, they need to make a serious evaluation of the state’s core functions and objectively determine the number of state employees necessary to carry out essential services. Once that is done, employee compensation should be evaluated as well. State salaries should be based on the more reliable and accurate Implicit Price Deflator instead of the Consumer Price Index. If this is done salaries can reflect increases in inflation without adding undue burden on the budget. Washington citizens are feeling the squeeze of our current economic crisis. We’re tightening our belts and re-evaluating our spending habits. Isn’t it time for state government to do the same? * All per capita personal income and population figures derived from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Contact: Jason Mercier, Deputy Communications Director, (360) 956-3482 or jmercier@effwa.org
|
1 Part Honesty; 2 Parts Arrogance At a March 23, 2005, House Appropriations hearing on a bill to gut the voter-approved I-601 spending limit, Rep. Jim McIntire (D) asked a supporter of I-601’s two-third supermajority requirement for the legislature to raise taxes the following question: "Can you name a time when we [legislators] have actually not just set it [supermajority requirement] aside by majority vote? I mean, this is in many respects a procedural motion that has no bearing. It’s a statutory constraint that cannot constrain any legislature that chooses as a majority to set it aside . . . have we ever used a supermajority [to raise taxes]?" - Rep. Jim McIntire (D - 46) Despite the arrogance of some state officials, Washington's constitution is clear: "All political power is inherent in the people..." |
