Posted on 07/03/2012 7:22:45 AM PDT by Wuli
As private sector salaries flattened over the last decade, military pay climbed steadily, enough so that by 2009 pay and allowances for enlisted members exceeded the pay of 90 percent of private sector workers of similar age and education level.
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The military gained its lead with annual raises from 2000 to 2010 that exceeded private sector wage growth and some extra increases in housing allowances to eliminate average out-of-pocket rental costs. Meanwhile, civilian pay growth stalled as markets collapsed and jobs disappeared.
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By 2009, the report says, average RMC for enlisted exceeded the median wage for civilians in each comparison group -- high school diploma, some college and two-year degrees. Average RMC was $50,747 or "about $21,800 more than the median earnings for civilians from the combined comparison groups."
For officers, average RMC was $94,735 in 2009. That was "88 percent higher than earnings of civilians with bachelor's degrees, and 47 percent higher than earnings of those with graduate-level degrees," the report says.
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Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew Gallagher, 29, doesn't believe pay comparisons using only age and education level, even with associate's degree earners tossed in the mix, is fair to career enlisted.
Gallagher will pass the 12-year mark in the Corps this November. He has served three tours in Iraq, the second shortened by wounds suffered in an IED attack. His total pay, before taxes and including BAH and BAS, is about $58,000 a year at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
You can also read the full "11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation report
at: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/06/report-calls-for-big-changes-in-military-pay/
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
The demographic values used for comparison do not fully identify similar groups, between the military and civilian sectors. Neither age nor age and education combined do it. At a minimum "years of service" vs "years employed in the same career" need to be used. But, the comparison is not made and it's likely that good data for it is available only on the military side.
I guess, given when these latest military raises began, one can maybe say either "it's Bush's fault" or "Thank you George W. Bush", depending on your perspective.
IMO the only important part of this article is that they are going to try and reduce pay/benefits for the military.
This is the reality that all authors while talking about military compensation.
Military members, almost regardless of their military specialties write an dated check to the Republic. it is for all of their futures. Sometimes that check is cashed in a “training accident”; sometimes in combat, sometimes there is a partial refund (WIA instead of KIA), and worse of all the military member pays but the check isn't cashed (MIA).
I first wrote my personal check in 1969 and the government held it until 1990. I was lucky, I got the check back uncashed. Too many of my friends and students didn't get theirs back.
Well if they aren’t, they should be.
Today’s military is a “smart” military, and smart people don’t come cheap.
If you had a private sector profession with a similar risk of death or injury, the pay would be much greater (e.g. wildcat oil well fire fighters). And in those industries it is a risk of accident, not a risk of someone intentionally trying to kill you.
I wonder if a part of these increases counted include “combat pay,” given the fact that we’ve had men and women in harms way for the last 11 years.
It sounds like the government is looking to cut enlisted pay, while trying to come up with increased compensation for welfare queens and illegal aliens.
Mark
May I suggest that you do some research, and answer your question for yourself?
If you think the answer is "none" or "very few" ...
You will find your research very enlightening.
If they are not in a war zone, then a pay scale comparison of "military lawyer" versus "civilian lawyer", or a "military chef" versus a "civilian chef" would be more valid.
These kind of comparisons make me sick. What private sector jobs even come close the requirement to place one’s life on the line? In many cases, our military personnel have had multiple tours in Iraq/Afghanistan, many coming home wounded, leaving families behind, etc. These kind of stories imply that they don’t EARN the higher pay. No, they do earn it and then some.
You mean like to the level when I was in? I remember my first ‘pay’.....A twenty, a five and a one. The DI then marched us over to a little building with a Red and White striped pole where that bastard proceeded to cut off all my hair. And, I had the privilege of having to pay that bastard a dollar. Much later in training, I got to spend the five in the base bowling alley and drank some 3.2 beer.
When I got out of basic, my pay was the equivalent of $47 every two weeks. Eight years later, I left that good job, and my pay was a whopping $594.60 per month...
Based on what I and others got, pay seems pretty good now.
Exactly. You get what you pay for!
Don’t forget military is not a 9 to 5 job , it’s a 24/7 job ,so now break down the hourly wage
yes times have changed
According to this site the pay doesn’t match what this story implies. http://www.militaryfactory.com/2013-military-pay-chart.asp
An new E1 makes $1,516 per month. Of course for most of them they are making combat pay of a couple hundred.
Someone with a 4 yr degree makes a few more bucks, still not that great.
I still have my first LES once out of basic: $212, $100 a week after taxes. The LES I have for living off base was $435. This was in 1984 when an apartment was still $350. I was one broke SOB.
‘The exception of 2001, how many civilians have died while at work?’
Many more than in the military. Go research it yourself.
Well, let’s not forget Steven Seagal was just a “cook” in Under Siege!
Seriously, the problem with that is those who are in non-combat gigs or stateside can, in a few hours, find themselves up to their necks in it. Case in point, the First Fighter Wing at Langely AFB in 1990. On August 2nd, they were at peace. Sure, flying F-15’s in its own right is dangerous enough, as is working on the engines, loading missiles and bombs, etc. But those are just a few Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC—same as MOS), while the rest of the wing were cooks, assorted pencil pushers, bottle washers, gaurds, first sergeants, supply clerks etc, etc, etc.
But on that very day, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Within a couple of days President George HW Bush sent Sec State James Baker and Sec of Defense Dick Cheney to Saudi Arabia with vital intelligence. They explained to King Kahlid that there was no line, no defense at all to keep Iraq from just continuing into the Saudi oil fields; indeed, intelligence showed they were continuing to stream past overrun Kuwaiti positions to the very border of Saudi Arabia itself, with a long train of supplies streaming in from Iraq. At that time, Operation Desert Shield began on 7 August 1990 when U.S. troops were sent to Saudi Arabia due to the request of its monarch, King Fahd, who had earlier called for U.S. military assistance.
The troops that led were those from the 1FW. All the planes left on August 6th, and the rest of the Wing joined up over the next few days.
The point of my tale is to show that you never know, as a member of the armed forces, when the balloon is going to go up, and you may be being shot at or dead withing 24-48 hours. This can happen EVEN if you are a cook, a bottle washer, a potato peeler, or, like me, a computer operator.
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