Posted on 12/12/2008 8:57:40 AM PST by NormsRevenge
When Robert Dynes departed as president of the University of California, we hoped his pattern of outlandish compensation for his staff and others would depart with him. It didn't.
It merely took another form, which became public in April when UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison retired with a lump-sum package of $2.1 million and was immediately rehired as UC Berkeley police chief with higher pay than she had earned before her retirement.
At the least, Harrison's rehiring broke the UC regents' rules, which limit retirees to one year of work and no more than 19 hours a week. It also prompted the university to review how many retirees were rehired for their old jobs. The San Francisco Chronicle delved into UC databases in February and found 1,900 rehired retirees, 969 of whom are in violation of one rule or another. The university put the total number at 1,910.
Some months later, the regents tightened the rules on double-dippers. They may now work only 17.5 hours a week and university officials must state in writing the reasons that only this retiree can meet the need. Rehiring a pensioner for $205,000 or more a year requires the regents' approval. Still, UC campuses have not adhered to the rules. And the regents declined to forbid a similar situation that angered some state legislators.
Linda Moore Williams, for example, began her career at UC San Diego, accompanied Dynes to the Office of the President as an associate president of the university. There, with Dynes' active approval, she received two perks extraordinary for associate presidents: $44,467 in reimbursement for relocation costs, on top of $12,000 in actual relocation costs, and a low-interest home loan of $832,500.
In January, Williams was one of 155 employees in the president's office who took a voluntary buyout to reduce costs. Those who took the buyout were explicitly advised that they could take other jobs in the UC system, which Williams and 15 others did. In May, Williams took a job at UC Berkeley – which requested a special waiver of the usual public notice of a vacancy. Last month, the regents approved her $100,202 buyout package. Promised a severance package with no strings attached, Williams and the 15 others are due that package. Yet regents Chairman Richard Blum acknowledges both the obligation to pay and past agreements that “we are clearly uncomfortable with.”
More encouraging, Mark Yudof, who in June inherited the Office of the President from Dynes, pledged to end the practice. Henceforth, employees in that office who take a buyout and another job in the system will have their severance pay reduced accordingly “to ensure the public's trust in our stewardship of resources.”
That trust, however, also took a hit at last week's regents meeting. The regents nixed a hike in student fees and approved a budget that they seemingly dare the governor and the Legislature to reject on pain of a 10,000 cut in the next freshman class.
UC System .. finding new ways to fleece the flock
Wow - Cali really needs to raise taxes for it’s budget shortfall.
I say indict and prosecute these people.
UT Austin used to do this (maybe it still does). People retire and then come back as 1099 consultants or project managers for even bigger salaries (justified by saying no fringe benefits are being paid since they are consultants). The cases I know of were when people left their posts and no one had yet been hired to replace them. The person leaving came back and was basically doing their same job, but at a higher rate. It was temporary, which may or may not be the case in the article here.
I heard Newt say on FNC this morning, that 80+% of athe State Police in California retire on “disability”.
I see the day coming when the American people are going to demand that unions have got to go.
Yet regents Chairman Richard Blum acknowledges both the obligation to pay and past agreements that “we are clearly uncomfortable with.”Is this the same Richard Blum that belongs to DiFi???
It’s just amazing. People in the Union in the auto world make on average of $70.00 an hour and when laid off; get to come into work; sign in and play crosswords or whatever; still receiving half their pay and all of their benfits.
These are the deals being made with our oh so honest Congress. Wonder what their percentage of the take is?
I want Congress out with their dirty backroom tricks and deals we never know anything about. No wonder this country is going broke with their seperate and secret accounting systems.
WTF, $2.1 Mil. For the police chief of UC Berkley. Any other Police chiefs of towns of 35K get that kind of money. This is what happens when people don't have to worry about earning their money. If you think it grows on trees, it is easy to see why they think they can just go grab some more. When you spend the Govts money, it is no big deal, they have plenty. Greedy bastards.
Sadly, that presumes they would have to know about the problem. The media has begun to report anecdotal evidence of public employee compensation abuse. But it's a bare trickle compared to the magnitude of the problem. San Diego appears to be somewhat of an exception in that its budget/pension problems are being aired in public.
Most states/municipalities hide behind their leviathan budgets. Need Billions to (over)pay public employees? Need billions to fund public pensions (including politicians' pensions)? Simply hide the funding in next years budget THEN tell taxpayers the deficit is attributable to schools, police, firement, etc. The media never gets around to highlighting the billions that were first stuffed away for public employees.
The deals that Congress have with the unions is that the union will propagandize the union members to get them to donate to and vote for Democrat candidates. In addition the unions use union member dues to work on behalf of Democrats.
Yet regents Chairman Richard Blum acknowledges both the obligation to pay and past agreements that “we are clearly uncomfortable with.”
Is this the same Richard Blum that belongs to DiFi???”
I’ll bet a prime rib dinner at John Asquaga’s Nugget in Sparks, Nevada that it is one and the same person.
It’s just amazing. People in the Union in the auto world make on average of $70.00 an hour and when laid off; get to come into work; sign in and play crosswords or whatever; still receiving half their pay and all of their benfits.”
some clarification:
The “$70 per hour” figure includes all health insurance, pensions, sick pay, vacation pay, and holiday pay.
When they are laid off and placed into the “job banks”, they receive 95% of their take home pay, not half.
In addition the unions use union member dues to work on behalf of Democrats.”
Unions contributed $400 million to Nobama’s campaign. If he spent the billion we have been told, that represents 40% of the entire amount of contributions taken by The Messiah. There is supposed to be over $200 million that isn’t identified as to source—person or country.
We have elected an illegal alien who is a born crook to the Oval Office.
That’s what I have heard; however, Rush was saying there was only a $2.00 difference.
Remember, they’re from the government, and they’re there to help you /s
Sad (for the USA) but true.
They bitch when the gov even considers lowering it a fraction of a point, and each day I hear sickening yadi yadas from some school big cheese saying the children are starving and being taught in caves with candle light and no central heat or air, and used stone tablets to read from....and because of these things they need more, yes more!!
we made a big mistake when neither my husband nor I went to work for some govt entity....what a travesty.....
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