Find Your Valentine
Slog
News & ArtsMonday, August 23, 2010
Politics / City / News In the Middle of an Economic Crisis, the State's Second-Highest Paid Employee Is Up for a Raise
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 5:47 PM
More bad p.r. for the Port of Seattle, courtesy of an email from Seattle nonprofit Puget Sound Sage:
Port of Seattle Commissioners will vote Tuesday, August 24 on a proposed 4 percent pay raise for Port CEO Tay Yoshitani, already the second highest-paid public employee in the state and the highest-paid port CEO in the nation.Yoshitani’s $334,000 salary — exceeded only by that of the University of Washington President — is more than the governor’s salary and those of all other state, county and city officials. He also is the highest paid port CEO in the country even though other ports, such as Los Angeles and the New Jersey/New York ports, have considerably higher container traffic than does Seattle.
The raise is questioned by local leaders and by port employees who have faced layoffs, furloughs and union contract concessions during this recession. Last year, $3 million was cut from port expenses by imposing involuntary furloughs on non-union employees. This year, the port eliminated 110 positions, representing 6.2 percent of its workforce. Meanwhile, some port truck drivers earn wages at or below poverty levels and have no health insurance, sick leave or other benefits.
Other public officials (Mayor McGinn, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Governor Gregoire) have foregone pay raises, as did Yoshitani last year. Let's hope we see a repeat performance.
The salary consideration is the 17th item on a 22-item agenda for the two-hour meeting, which starts at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will be held in the Port of Seattle offices located at the south end of the main terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, one floor above the ticketing level. Those who want to comment on the issue can sign up to do so immediately before the meeting.
1
Um, the coach of the Huskies football team, a state employee, makes about $3 million a year including incentives.
The highest-paid state employee in almost every state in the union is a football coach.
The highest-paid state employee in almost every state in the union is a football coach.
3
Stock market insiders probably sold hundreds of millions of overvalued stock last week, just like every other week.
Who bought it? Simple folk with 401ks invested in mutual funds.
http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/
But you won't complain. You can't see it.
5
Fnarf, Sarkisian is scheduled to make $1.85 million this year. He can only get near $3 million if he wins the national title AND achieves an 80% graduation rate, both exceedingly unlikely events. No state money is used in his compensation either.
7
@5, that's assuming that you accept the athletic department's crooked accounting. Of COURSE it's state money; the athletic department is not a private business, it's part of the university. Athletic department revenue BELONGS TO THE STATE. No other departments get to use such creative accounting methods when they, for instance, license a patent or something.
8
Just a footnote, Gael Tarleton, who you love to demonize in your posts, is the only Port Commissioner to vote AGAINST a pay raise every year this has come up. Let's hope she sticks to common sense again this year and other Port Commissioners share in that wisdom.
9
Sorry Fnarf, that's not the way it is. Football at UW pays not only for itself but every other sport save men's basketball, which runs a small surplus. The UW athletic department brought in over $60 million last year, out of which coaches' salaries, building maintenance, and scholarships are paid, along with all other AD expenses.
The only state money UW athletics gets is for a few scholarships for Title IX compliance purposes. That's one of the reasons the swim team was recently cut - revenues declined with the fortunes of the football team, and there was no way upper campus (aka the taxpayers) were going to subsidize the athletic department. UW is one of about 20 athletic departments in the country that is consistently in the black, and it has been for decades. If you're looking for an athletic department that actually IS subsidized by taxpayers, look to Pullman or the directional schools.
Also, athletic department revenues belong to the state about as much as revenues from the Medical Center and the dorms do - which is to say, not at all.
The only state money UW athletics gets is for a few scholarships for Title IX compliance purposes. That's one of the reasons the swim team was recently cut - revenues declined with the fortunes of the football team, and there was no way upper campus (aka the taxpayers) were going to subsidize the athletic department. UW is one of about 20 athletic departments in the country that is consistently in the black, and it has been for decades. If you're looking for an athletic department that actually IS subsidized by taxpayers, look to Pullman or the directional schools.
Also, athletic department revenues belong to the state about as much as revenues from the Medical Center and the dorms do - which is to say, not at all.
10
It is conceivable that this guy is worth what the state is paying. For example, what if replacing this guy with someone taking lower pay resulted in losses at the port greater than a salary difference of 100K? That's not much money relative to the amount of business the port conducts.
I only mention this because somehow the original post fails to do so.
I only mention this because somehow the original post fails to do so.
11
@7 Fnarf - if the coach brings in money that would not have materialized without him, it's his money, not the state's. Any accountant who tells you otherwise is an idiot.
12
Yoshitani is the jer--guy who sent an email to Port staff asking them to support a private fundraising cause of his and later half-apologetically said he didn't realize that was inappropriate. Sure he deserves a raise, especially since the Port gets public tax dollars and we want our money used to support his kind of expertise.
13
Port Commissioner could be replaced with a coffee machine. I wonder how many port commissioners are out unloading container ships, or moving diesel from the pipeline to the stations. Shitcan 'em all.
16
It's also worth mentioning that these millions of dollars that pour into any given Div I school's athletic department are earned on the backs of young men who risk their bodies and minds for zero direct compensation. And if they get caught taking money under the table, it's their reputation that is sullied while the machine keeps churning.
Oh, we're talking about the Port Commissioner? Fuck that pay raise in the ear.
Oh, we're talking about the Port Commissioner? Fuck that pay raise in the ear.
18
I could do half that job twice as well.
Provided we changed from American football to European football.
Just the cost savings alone on protective padding would pay for 10 scholarships.
Provided we changed from American football to European football.
Just the cost savings alone on protective padding would pay for 10 scholarships.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
SL Letter of the Day: Life Sentence by Dan Savage
-
SL Letter of the Day: Daddy Loves Who? by Dan Savage
-
Required Listening: Howard Stern on Ellen, JC Penney, Bullied Gay Kids, Rosie, Santorum, Bachmann, et al by Dan Savage
-
Crowdsourcing Uncut Police Video from the Dec. 12 Occupy Protest at the Port of Seattle by Eli Sanders
-
State Legislator Testifies That His Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Came to Him from a Commercial for Jack in the Box by Christopher Frizzelle
-
"Let me be the first one to say: My business will refuse to participate in a same-sex marriage ceremony," by Republican Representative Matt Shea of the Spokane Valley by Eli Sanders
-
The Onion Is on a Roll: "Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon" by Charles Mudede
-
"I don't know if I want to be here [if gay marriage passes]," by Republican State Senator Jay Rodne of North Bend by Eli Sanders
-
Announcing The Stranger's Tournament of Dunces! Who's the Dumbest Representative in the State House? by Christopher Frizzelle
-
Republicans Put Gay Marriage on the Ballot at Their Own Risk by Goldy
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (18) RSS