It's a truism on the right these days: firefighters, librarians, sanitation workers, and other public employees are lazy and overpaid. They've "turned themselves into a coddled class that lives better than its private sector counterpart," according to Reason Magazine. They are crushing beleaguered taxpayers with their fancy salaries and lavish benefits. It would be an alarming story if it were true. But a new study by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the National Institute on Retirement Security takes a sober look at the data behind the politicized hype and uncovers a very different picture. When workforce factors such as education and work experience are taken into account, state and local employees make less than their private sector counterparts.
Related: AFSCME Greenline blog Worth A Read: “Coddled” Public Employees Make Less than the Private Sector |
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