Oregon’s Highest Paid Union Bosses
– Catalina Gaitan, GoLocalPDX Contributor
In the midst of a national decline, membership in Oregon’s labor unions is on the rise. Moreover, while membership is thriving, so are the salaries of some of the state’s largest union leaders – many of whom are making six-figure salaries, or double or triple the average salary of the workers they are paid to represent.
Ten leaders of the state’s largest union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), are receiving more than $100,000 annually. Similarly, Oregon’s chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) also has 10 leaders earning six-figures, despite having fewer than half the members and significantly less financial assets of their peer union, SEIU.
“They get those salaries because they can,” said senior policy analyst Steve Buckstein of the Cascade Policy Institute, a free-market think-tank based in Oregon. “…
We Respond & Your Comments
We aren’t in the habit of criticizing people for making as much money they legally can. But we do raise our eyebrows when they make it by snatching it from somebody else’s wallet. And that’s what union bosses do – you want a union job, you’re forced to pay them union dues.
Ever heard “Progressives” whine that “CEO’s make a bazzilion times the salary of a janitor in their companies?” Let’s look at some of the salary disparities you’ll never them whine, moan and bedwet about:
- Union bosses’ salaries compared to average workers’ pay;
- Liberal late night TV comedians’ appearance fees compared to what the janitors make;
- Aging pop stars’ salaries compared to what the concert ticket taker gets;
- Liberal movie stars’ checks compared to what an “extra” takes home.
Could it be that union bosses, late night comedians, aging pop singers and liberal movie stars all cough up big bucks for Democrats? Just wondering.
Editors’ Note: You’ll never, ever hear them even mention (let alone criticize) Chelsea Clinton’s $600,000 salary at NBC, either.
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