Washington state government salary
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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that Washington's public employees receive from state and local government.
The Washington Office of Financial Management posts on its webpage the Personnel Detail Report which provides salary and other employment information for each employee in all state agencies.[1] It posted the 2011 Personnel Detail report on the state's budget transparency website in 2011. The data is from teh 2011 Personnel Data Report, which covers the 2010 calendar year, is searchable by name, agency or function area.[2]
[edit] Elected officials' salaries
| Office | '10 Salary | Current Official |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | $166,891[4] | Christine Gregoire |
| Lieutenant Governor | $93,948 | Brad Owen |
| Secretary of State | $116,950 | Sam Reed |
| Attorney General | $151,718 | Rob McKenna |
| Treasurer | $116,950 | Jim McIntire |
The salary of Washington's governor ranks 7th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.'[5] In a list of state employees ranked by salary, the governor was the 956th highest paid state of Washington employee.[6]
[edit] Legislators' salary
Washington state legislators receive an annual salary of $42,106.[7] Legislators receive a per diem of $90 per day.[7]
[edit] Judicial salaries
| Position | '10 Salary | Current Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | $164,221 | Charles Johnson |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Barbara Madsen |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Gerry Alexander |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Richard Sanders |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Tom Chambers |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Susan Owens |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Mary Fairhurst |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | James Johnson |
| Associate Justice | $164,221 | Debra Stephens |
The salary of Washington's chief justice ranks 18th among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.[8]
The salary of Washington's associate justices ranks 15th among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.[8]
[edit] State and local employees
The state cut state employees' pay by 3 percent as of July 1, 2011.[9] Employee salary and benefits for general government and higher education employees accounted for 20.5% of the state budget in 2002 and 18.2% in 2011. K-12 public-school-employment costs were not included in the calculations.[10]
The Office of Financial Management released its 2011 report showing the total gross earnings for 2010. It encompasses public employees paid through the state’s or institution of higher education’s payroll system, including base pay and any additional compensation or premiums such as overtime, callback, standby or assignment pay.[11] Among general-government employees, more than 1,350 earned more than $100,000. The top earner in the group was Gary Bruebaker, chief investment officer at the Washington State Investment Board. His gross pay at $303,581.79, and he was the 56th highest paid of all state government employees.[12]
According to 2008 Census data, the state of Washington and local governments in the state employed a total of 427,078 people.[13] Of those employees, 287,439 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $1,403,475,485 per month and 139,639 were part-time employees paid $212,257,148 per month.[13] More than 49% of those employees, or 212,659 employees, were in education or higher education.[13]
For the current state budget teacher and other public employee salaries will be cut. It includes a 1.9 percent cut for teacher pay and a 3 percent cut for administrative staff.[14] It will save the state $179 million over the next two years.
[edit] State employee benefits
State of Washington employees receive many benefits in addition to their salary.
[edit] Paid days off
Vacation Employees earn 12-22 days of paid vacation per year depending on the length of employment.[15]
Paid holidays Full-time employees are entitled to ten paid holidays, and one personal holiday if the employee is scheduled to be, or has been, continuously employed by the State of Washington for at least four (4) months.[15] The paid holidays are[16]
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- President's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veteran's Day
- Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
Sick leave Full-time employees earn one day of sick leave each month. Part-time employees earn sick leave on a pro rata basis.[15]
Bereavement leave Non-represented classified employees are entitled to 3 days of paid bereavement leave when a family pr household member dies.[15]
Civil leave Employees are allowed leave with pay for jury duty or to perform other civil duties.
Military leave Military training leave with pay is permitted to a maximum of 21 work days in any one year.
[edit] Insurance
Health, Vision & Dental
Currently state employees pay 12% and the state pays 88% of their health care premiums, with the average premium for employees costing $112 per month.[17] State employees choose among eight different health insurance plans.[18] Both managed managed care plans or preferred provider plans.[18] Dental and vision insurance is provided to employees and premiums are fully paid by the State.[19]
Life
Eligible employees are provided with a $25,000 basic term life insurance and basic $5,000 coverage for Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.[20] Additional supplemental insurance and coverage for dependents is available to employees.[19]
Long Term Disability
Eligible employees receive basic Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage. Employees may choose to purchase additional LTD coverage which provides up to sixty percent of their monthly salary (following a waiting period selected by the employee).
Other
Other coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction. Long term care insurance is also available.[19]
[edit] Retirement
Most state employees are members of the Washington Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS).[19] The state requires that employees contribute 5.31% of their salery to the retirement system.[21]
Employees also have the option of supplementing their retirement by participating in the state's Deferred Compensation Program.[19] It is a 457 plan that requires a minimum investment of $30.[22]
[edit] Other benefits
- Dependent Care Assistance Program allows employees to save on child or elder care expenses such as babysitting, daycare, or in-home care for an older dependent by setting aside pre-tax dollars from their paycheck.[23]
- Flexible Spending Accounts permit employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for out-of-pocket health expenditures.[24]
[edit] Disclosure and transparency
The newspaper The Olympian offers a database of state employee salaries that is searchable by employee name and by agency. One man by the name of Louis Bloom has assembled (via FOIA) a very thorough listing of 2007 Washington State Employees, Job Title and Salaries.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Washington State Employment Opportunities
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
- State Budget Solutions, Washington
[edit] References
- ↑ Washington OFM Personnel Detail Report
- ↑ The Washington Policy Center "State employee compensation now available in a searchable format" Sept. 20, 2011
- ↑ The Council of States Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11
- ↑ The Council of State Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.3
- ↑ ‘‘The Council of State Governments,’’ “The Book of the States: 2008”
- ↑ The Olympian "UW coach No. 1 for pay; Gregoire at No. 956" Aug. 10, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 National Conference of State Legislators 2010 Legislator Compensation Data
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Resource Center" as of Jan. 1, 2010
- ↑ The Olympian "UW coach No. 1 for pay; Gregoire at No. 956" Aug. 10, 2011
- ↑ The Seattle Times "State workers getting smaller share of budget" Oct. 14, 2011
- ↑ Washington Policy Center, OFM releases state employee salary details, Aug. 10, 2011
- ↑ The Olympian "UW coach No. 1 for pay; Gregoire at No. 956" Aug. 10, 2011
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 2008 Washington Public Employment U.S. Census Data
- ↑ Seattle Times, Wash. budget deal includes teacher salary cuts, May 24, 2011
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Vacation, Leave and Holidays
- ↑ Holiday Schedule
- ↑ The Seattle Times "State budget likely to go from bad to much worse" Sept. 11, 2010
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Insurance Plans
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Benefits Overview
- ↑ Public Employees Benefits Board Life Insurance
- ↑ Contribution Rates
- ↑ Deferred Compensation Plan FAQs
- ↑ Dependent Care Assistance Program
- ↑ Flexible Spending Accounts
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