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Tuesday, June 13, 2006
How does your paycheck compare to CEO’s?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
America is at war!
And no, I am not talking about Mr. Bush’s Iraq fiasco.
The war that I am referencing is right here on the home front — in our workplaces. Moreover, based on the current rules of engagement — it is a war that all but a very few Americans have the hopes of ever winning.
The war that I am talking about is often denied, under-discussed, and threatens to undermine our social fabric.
Of course, I am talking about the ongoing war between the classes and the struggle for income equality.
The economic gulf between Americans continues to widen and because of it millions of Americans are estranged from one another. This polarization is not just between the richest Americans and the poorest Americans. The most noteworthy and ominous compensation gap is between CEOs and their middle class employees.
A recent article in The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that the median “expected” pay, in 2005, for 41 Atlanta area CEOs was $117,739 every two weeks.
In 2000, the median household income in Gwinnett County was $56,082; while the median US household income was $30,056, according to the Gwinnett Coalition.
One of the excessively compensated CEOs earns more in two weeks — than two median income Gwinnett households do for an entire year —which, keep in mind, is much higher than the overall U.S. median household income.
I am a capitalist — and I am all for people having the opportunity to make lots of money and even become downright rich. But I find it troubling that only a handful of the usual players — late middle age, upper-class, and well-connected white guys — have a chance for the executive suite and the sweet life. When will more women, blacks, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and others have an opportunity to lead American companies?
Moreover, I know that CEOs have the responsibility of setting their organizations on a good course and that they alone must answer to demanding shareholders. But I just don’t believe, that those duties are on average 400 times more valuable than the contributions of employees who work on the shop floor or in the office of the same company.
Here in Gwinnett County, the starting pay for a Firefighter I/Emergency Medical Technician is $31,515 annually. Using the special calculator at the Executive Paywatch Database it would take 1,141 years (until 3147 A.D.) for a Gwinnett Firefighter/EMT to earn enough to equal Home Depot CEO, Robert L. Nardelli’s 2004 compensation.
It is just obscene that a man who is willing to risk his life for the public good is paid so little in comparison to a man who heads a publicly traded company.
If your house in on fire or your loved one is having a heart attack, the value of the Firefighter/EMT is far more than any CEO could ever offer shareholders.
How does your paycheck compare to your organization’s CEO? Are public safety workers or top company executives more valuable to society?
Permalink | Comments (106) | Categories: Beni Dakar
Overheard: What we’re venting about
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
People love to vent if you give them the chance. Having a beer, standing in line at the grocery store, chatting at the park. This is some of what I’ve seen and heard over the last couple of weeks:
Trucks over six wheels shouldn’t be allowed on the road between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. It’s ridiculous when a light turns red while the first truck in line is only halfway through the intersection. Line six or eight of them up in a row (with all the development in Gwinnett County, this is a common sight) and an already bad commute becomes miserable.
I saw a guy the other morning driving his car, talking on a cell phone, drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette AND picking his nose at the same time. Of course, he was going 20 mph below the speed limit while driving in the left lane.
Attention, Gwinnett County and City Governments: How about widening the roads and making them ready to accommodate new development BEFORE building everything? And no, just putting up a new traffic light doesn’t count.
Don’t get too cocky, Mets fans. I know y’all are excited, but the Braves haven’t won 14 in a row just because they were lucky. There’s a lot of baseball yet to play, and history is on our side.
Congratulations to the Gwinnett Gladiators, not only for this season, but also for all the seasons of excellence and entertainment that they have provided. So, when do you think Mayor Shirley Lassiter hits the late-night talk show circuit?
What is it about serving on the board of a homeowner’s association that transforms people from decent neighbors into tyrannical despots? If it’s the 15-minutes-of-fame thing, may I suggest taking a bubble gun to school? You’ll get more attention.
How do all these CEOs get away with stealing these corporate profits? What exactly do they do to earn it? Unless you’ve done something like, oh, cure cancer or AIDS, I have a hard time believing that anyone is worth that much. Maybe part of the problem is that you and I (the stockholders) really don’t get to make those decisions.
If you don’t like the candidates, if you don’t like your elected officials, don’t blame the lobbyists, don’t blame the political parties, and don’t blame the religious groups. Blame a society that doesn’t participate. A lobbyist’s dollar wouldn’t buy spit if people kept their politicians honest by keeping up with events. If you don’t vote, if you don’t educate yourself, then you get what you settle for. Judging by the statistics, that includes a lot of you.
It’s pronounced “NEW-clear,” not “NEW-q-lar.”
The larger the SUV, the greater the likelihood that there is only one person in it. And, have you ever noticed that they CRAWL over speed bumps? Come on, people, they are made for tough driving!
Got anything to get off your chest?
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Bill Allen
