AP Reports – Resolution circulating to nix raises
The pay increases take effect automatically unless they are voted down in their entirety. A resolution to do so is already circulating among lawmakers.
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This is nothing but Kabuki theatre. The legislators had come up with a way to sneak through pay increases for themselves w/o actually voting for them by creating the Compensation Commission.
They know they’d be hung by their thumbs if they accepted pay increases this year.
So, they’ll set themselves up as profiles in courage, and see to it that other state employees get shafted as well.
I’ve seen this movie before.
Having said that, they’ll probably push this resolution through in January, so that they can puff out their chests and claim that they took one for the team.
The big question is, will the resolution reject the raises in their entirety, or will judges, for example, receive them? Chief Justice Leo Strine has argued that it’s tough to attract the finest judges when they are underpaid.
Big fan of Chief Justice Strine. Attended a talk he gave about 2 years ago. I thought I read somewhere that the compensation package for the Delaware Judiciary was the 5th highest in the country. Anyone know?
As of 2010, the salary of Delaware’s chief justice ranked third among U.S. chief justices’ salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices was $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices was $151,284.[4]
As of 2010, the salary of Delaware’s associate justices ranked fifth among U.S. associate justices’ salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices was $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices was $145,984.[4]
Gov. Jack Markell’s FY 2011 budget included a $6,100, or 3.6%, raise for 18 associate judges on the bench in Superior Court, bringing their annual salaries to $174,950. Under this budget, Superior Court President Judge James T. Vaughn Jr.’s salary would have risen $2,100 to $185,750.[5]
https://ballotpedia.org/Delaware_state_government_salary
All I can say is that Strine himself is arguing on behalf of the raises:
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/06/pay-increases/96240664/
“”[The judiciary’s] quality is integral to Delaware’s leading industry – the formation of business entities and the legal services jobs that come with it,” Strine said in a statement. “Delaware’s judiciary is ranked at the very top nationally and internationally in terms of quality, and it is vital to the people of Delaware that it remains so. That requires attracting and retaining excellent judges.”
@REV: Yeah, and given how important Delaware’s judiciary is to the state’s fiscal situation, they ought to be No. 1 in the country.
We shouldn’t rely on corporate crook incorporating in the state to balance the budget
The judges may not always get the highest salaries, but I have always heard the real sweet deal is in their pensions. You don’t see a lot of judges leaving to go back to the private sector. Plus, they can set their own hours and don’t have the stresses of a high powered firm. It’s public service!
@chris: How many judges do you know?