Lavish, Gold-Plated Pensions Making Millionaires of Wisconsin Government Employees

Click here to view top government salaries and pensions for the State of Wisconsin.
Click here to view University of Wisconsin Madison top government salaries and estimated pensions.
Click here to view City of Madison top government salaries and estimated pensions.
Click here to view Dane County Government Schools top salaries and estimated pensions.
Click here to view the top Dane County salaries and estimated pensions
MADISON–A report released today by Taxpayers United of America (TUA) reveals that government employees of the City of Madison, Univ. of Wisconsin, Dane County and Madison government schools are not only receiving very generous salaries, but their estimated pension benefits in many cases will be larger than salaries in the private sector.
“The state refuses to release figures relating to pensions, and I condemn this lack of transparency,” said Tobin. “Once the employee retires it’s hands-off, even though the public is paying for the pensions.”
“The most outrageous pensions and salaries are at the Univ. of Wisconsin,” said Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President. “98 of the Top 100 salaries and estimated pensions for the State of Wisconsin are for employees of the University.  Barry L. Alvarez, Dir. of Athletics, draws an enormous annual salary of $500,000. When he retires, his pension including Social Security is estimated to start at an amazing $376,000 a year.  When you estimate the total pension payout, Mr. Alvarez will be taking away almost $8 million from a state budget struggling to pay for basic services, thanks to union bosses and Democratic Party players who so graciously rose to power on the backs of struggling blue collar workers in the rank and file.”
“Employees of the government schools in Dane County are also raking it in. Daniel Nerad of Madison Metropolitan Sch. Dist. received a jumbo annual salary of $201,438, and when he retires his estimated annual pension including Social Security will be a whopping $167,007, for an estimated total pension payout, including Social Security, of $3,507,139. His fringe benefits, which include charges paid by local taxpayers, such as Social Security taxes, health insurance premiums and retirement contributions, stand at an extravagant $58,034.”
“Heading the City of Madison’s Top 50 pensions is Mark A. Olinger, Dir. of Plan Development, who received an annual salary of $167,803. When he retires, his estimated annual pension including Social Security will start at $143,462.  Leading Dane County’s Top 100 wages and pensions is Bradley Livingston, Airport Dir., who received a 2010 salary of $153,821. When he retires, his estimated annual pension including Social Security will start at $133,675.”
“Wisconsin’s pension system is making multi-millionaires out of public employees at taxpayer expense,” said Tobin. “Yet what is most shocking is that priorities can be so twisted, that a glorified coach makes more in salaries and benefits than his university’s Chancellor, and more than 12 times what the average hard working Wisconsin resident takes home. Anyone who supports these pensions and calls themselves a progressive is living a lie.”
Click here to view this News Release as a PDF.