More Than 13% of Los Angeles' Water Department Makes Over 100K A Year

The L.A. Daily News reports:

As the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power seeks a hefty taxpayer rate hike, a Daily News review of salary data shows the average utility worker makes $76,949 a year - or nearly 20 percent more than the average civilian city worker.

More than 1,140 of the utility's employees - or about 13 percent - take home more than $100,000 a year. And General Manager Ron Deaton, who is on medical leave, rakes in $344,624 a year - making him the city's highest- paid worker.

DWP salaries are on average higher than city and far higher than private-sector workers' even as the utility has come under fire for recent power outages and another round of rate hikes: A 9percent, three-year electric-rate hike and a 6 percent, two-year water-rate hike.

The salary disparities have emerged in recent days as a crucial issue in intense negotiations with six unions representing nearly 22,000 city workers - about half the work force - whose contracts expire today.

"To the average person, they're going to go, `Wow, that's a great salary and they're charging me more,"' said City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is among council members who have asked the utility to justify its rate-hike request.

"People who are regular folks will say, `Gosh darn it, where is all the money being spent? I lost power for five days, and I had to throw out my groceries."'

While DWP workers have long been some of the highest-paid in the city, salaries got even more lucrative two years ago with a five-year contract guaranteeing 16.8 percent raises and up to 28percent depending on inflation.

No word yet from liberals who say public sector workers make less than the private sector workers.Government workers sure are special.Maybe, having government workers voting isn't such a good idea.