Nothing says Merry Christmas like robbing the taxpayers blind via pension abuses. Two absolutely outrageous stories this week that demonstrate the power of the Hack-Progressive Alliance.
The first is Sen. Jim Marzilli, the disgraced, indicted perv. This self-described “socialist” allegedly crudely demeaned and molested women who just happened not to be his wife. In a just world, this creep would be worried about simply holding on to his pension. This being Massachusetts, Marzilli is asking for HIS PENSION TO BE DOUBLED. If you think that takes balls, wait until you hear his reasoning,
Globe: Ex-senator wants double pension; Marzilli resigned amid criminal case
J. James Marzilli Jr., the former state senator from Arlington who resigned in disgrace after being charged with harassing or attempting to grope women in downtown Lowell, wants the state to nearly double his pension.
In a request submitted to the state Board of Retirement, Marzilli, a 50-year-old liberal Democrat with 23 years of local and state service, cites a state law that allows elected officials under age 55 with more than 20 years of creditable service to boost their pension if they fail to win reelection.
He failed to win re-election because he had been arrested for assaulting multiple women. A self-described socialist representing Arlington is about the closest thing one can think of to lifetime job security. Despite this, this creep allegedly assaulted multiple women like a filthy pervert. AND HE IS ASKING FOR HIS PENSION TO BE DOUBLED BECAUSE HE WASN’T RE-ELECTED. Why wouldn’t every hack in the legislature run right out and start a massive crime spree in order to get their juicy pensions further juiced?
The second whopper of the week occours over at Massport. I know, you’re shocked, shocked!
Mining vacation gold at Massport
Benefit is used to increase salaries, pensions of workers
In an arrangement that is extremely rare throughout the rest of state and local government, officials at the Port Authority of Massachusetts can take advantage of a little-known benefit to add as much as 6 percent to their paychecks by “selling back” up to three weeks of unused vacation time.
About 300 Massport employees cash in some vacation time each year, including both management and union workers, costing the agency about $750,000 annually. And it is a benefit popular among those contemplating retirement, because by boosting their income, they also increase their pensions.
In the case of its highest-paid administrator, executive director Thomas Kinton Jr., the perk was worth $15,875 this year. As a longtime employee, he gets five weeks of vacation. This year, he took two and sold back the rest. That payment came on top of Kinton’s $295,000 annual salary.
Anyone reading this who works in the DPS (dreaded private sector) who enjoys this perk? I’ve been toiling away in the DPS for 20 years and have never come across such a policy. When it comes to vacataion time, in the real world, it’s use it or lose it. If you’re lucky, maybe you can roll some days over if they are unused. Go ahead, go to your DPS boss and ask for cash instead. See what they say.
A spokeswoman for Massport, defended the benefit with this gem,
We operate as a business and we compete for the best talent with those in the private industry. And to compete with the private industry in attracting and retaining talented employees, we strive to provide a competitive benefit package. If someone chooses not to take vacation time they have rightfully earned, we believe they should be compensated for it.
Massport, the home of the infamous nationwide job search that typically ends in the selection of a niece or nephew of a state rep. Please Massport, don’t pee on our leg and tell the taxpayers it’s raining. Obviously, anyone with fifteen minutes of DPS experience knows this benefit, and the excuse for it, is complete and utter BS.
Fred Foulkes, a Boston University professor and director of the university’s Human Resources Policy Institute says,
“It’s an abuse – it’s not right and the public deserves better. You would be hard-pressed to find any examples like it anywhere in the workplace. It’s easy to keep track of lower-level folks, but at higher levels, there often isn’t adequate record-keeping. Nobody asks a top manager for a doctor’s note when he’s out sick, for example. There’s a high level of trust. You assume a lot. And that’s risky.”
Michael Widmer, head of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said,
“This is an extremely unusual and lucrative arrangement, not found in either the public or private sectors,” Widmer said. Patrick administration officials declined to comment.
The problems in Massachusetts are not all Big Dig related. There is a generational culture of corruption in this state that has been festering for decades. It is in the agencies like Massport and the Pike and up and down Beacon Hill. Reform in Massachusetts has to start with the pension system. Yes, holding down taxes and tolls is important. But nothing will begin to correct the systemic abuses that are bankrupting this state like serious, draconian pension reform.
Here’s one recommendation. Every state worker who starts their job after Jan. 1, 2009 gets a nice 401K plan from Fidelity, like the rest of us. No more lifetime healthcare, no more pay for “unused” vacations, no more pensions, period!
Here’s to an awful 2009 for the Hack-Progressive Alliance. Cheers!