Monday, October 04, 2004
Contract Hit
It's one of those quotes that just hung there, like a Bill Lee curve ball.
"Taxpayers who are trying to make ends meet, and who have been denied the tax cut they voted for in 2000, should not be asked to pay for retroactive salary increases for state employees." (source: Office of (fraud) gov, "Romney signs $439M supplemental budget bill," 9/17/2004)
Willard Mitt was snidely referring to the University of Massachusetts contractual raises that he vetoed as part of last month's supplemental spending bill.
But he was also speaking about himself.
Because according to a "Secret Memo," written by the Fraud Governor's chief human resources officer, Romney has implemented a retroactive salary increase package for favored members of Team Reform. (source: Human Resources Division, "Implementation of Management Compensation Reform," 8/17/2004)
The package, which was approved by "Romney and his Cabinet," could, according to the memo, provide a 7-percent salary increase to managers earning $92,000-a-year who receive the arbitrary rating of "exceptional." Their new annual salary, upon which pension benefits would be structured, would be $99,152.15.
Retroactive to July 1.
So how does one go about obtaining an arbitrary rating of exceptional? The memo doesn't say. But we're guessing the formula involves a matrix of campaign contributions multiplied by lawn sign disbursements and participation in a rudimentary number of stand-outs.
One thing the memo does make clear, however, is that "77 percent of managers will receive 3.00 percent or more for their annual salary increase; this amount is greater than increases of recent years."
No wonder Romney wouldn't fund the UMASS union contract - he spent all of those funds on management raises!
Strangely, Romney's payroll package seem to contradict language in the FY2005 budget. Willard Mitt's budget submission directed the "personnel administrator (to) establish a management performance evaluation program, which shall include criteria to be used to determine merit pay increases, non-cash incentives and/or bonuses for managers." However, this language was not included in the final FY2005 budget document. Instead, section 391 of the budget called for "a comprehensive review and analysis of executive and managerial compensation ... (including) an analysis of the operation of the salary schedule, including the number of managers in each job group at each increment step, how salaries for managers are initially set, how the performance of managers is reviewed and how increases or increments are given." (source: FY2005 Budget, section 391)
Those persistent few who are still reading this mess will note that Romney did not veto section 391. He simply ignored it, approved his own Management Compensation Reform, and went on vacation.
Last year, after the Fraud Governor crafted a similar secret payroll scheme, the flack formerly known as the stout, Reese Witherspoon-wannabe dye-job aide to Romney’s loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman threatened that the raises could be funded by non-management job cuts. (source: Boston Globe, 7/31/2003)
It is unknown how many administrative drones will be fired to pave the way for this year's pay grab.
But we're sure there's a way to get one's name off the hit list.
It's one of those quotes that just hung there, like a Bill Lee curve ball.
"Taxpayers who are trying to make ends meet, and who have been denied the tax cut they voted for in 2000, should not be asked to pay for retroactive salary increases for state employees." (source: Office of (fraud) gov, "Romney signs $439M supplemental budget bill," 9/17/2004)
Willard Mitt was snidely referring to the University of Massachusetts contractual raises that he vetoed as part of last month's supplemental spending bill.
But he was also speaking about himself.
Because according to a "Secret Memo," written by the Fraud Governor's chief human resources officer, Romney has implemented a retroactive salary increase package for favored members of Team Reform. (source: Human Resources Division, "Implementation of Management Compensation Reform," 8/17/2004)
The package, which was approved by "Romney and his Cabinet," could, according to the memo, provide a 7-percent salary increase to managers earning $92,000-a-year who receive the arbitrary rating of "exceptional." Their new annual salary, upon which pension benefits would be structured, would be $99,152.15.
Retroactive to July 1.
So how does one go about obtaining an arbitrary rating of exceptional? The memo doesn't say. But we're guessing the formula involves a matrix of campaign contributions multiplied by lawn sign disbursements and participation in a rudimentary number of stand-outs.
One thing the memo does make clear, however, is that "77 percent of managers will receive 3.00 percent or more for their annual salary increase; this amount is greater than increases of recent years."
No wonder Romney wouldn't fund the UMASS union contract - he spent all of those funds on management raises!
Strangely, Romney's payroll package seem to contradict language in the FY2005 budget. Willard Mitt's budget submission directed the "personnel administrator (to) establish a management performance evaluation program, which shall include criteria to be used to determine merit pay increases, non-cash incentives and/or bonuses for managers." However, this language was not included in the final FY2005 budget document. Instead, section 391 of the budget called for "a comprehensive review and analysis of executive and managerial compensation ... (including) an analysis of the operation of the salary schedule, including the number of managers in each job group at each increment step, how salaries for managers are initially set, how the performance of managers is reviewed and how increases or increments are given." (source: FY2005 Budget, section 391)
Those persistent few who are still reading this mess will note that Romney did not veto section 391. He simply ignored it, approved his own Management Compensation Reform, and went on vacation.
Last year, after the Fraud Governor crafted a similar secret payroll scheme, the flack formerly known as the stout, Reese Witherspoon-wannabe dye-job aide to Romney’s loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman threatened that the raises could be funded by non-management job cuts. (source: Boston Globe, 7/31/2003)
It is unknown how many administrative drones will be fired to pave the way for this year's pay grab.
But we're sure there's a way to get one's name off the hit list.
