A Modest (Salary) Proposal

[npmommie]

Including registered nurses?

why would you ask that?? because we are all rich rolling in dough?? or don't you think we earn our money?? just wondering

 

[froglady]

I think that Steve Martin (the comedian) is the only person I ever remember saying that he was getting paid too much for what he does, and that was decades ago. "I can't believe I get paid for doing this!"

Everyone else I've met has complained that he/she wasn't getting paid enough. And that others were getting paid too much, even if the person complaining had never tried to do that job himself, and really had no idea of how much work went into it, both in behind the scene time, years of education, or actual day to day responsibilty.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

why would you ask that?? because we are all rich rolling in dough?? or don't you think we earn our money?? just wondering

And when did registered nurses rob their hospitals blind, write their own golden parachutes and run away when they've run the place into the ground take off with hundreds of millions of dollars?

Methinks Charade is reaching so far he'll soon fall over.

 

[froglady]

why would you ask that?? because we are all rich rolling in dough?? or don't you think we earn our money?? just wondering

I think he was making the point that there are people who have no idea of your education, time and money spent earning your degree, responsibility, etc who feel that you are being paid too much. I've heard it said by LPNs, aides, etc who think that they work harder than you do, and are just as essential to patient care, so they should make as much money. They don't realize that often when you are "sitting at the desk giving orders" you are actually involved in aspects of patient care that they are not qualified to handle.

Patients complain about the cost of hospital care, without realizing that part of that cost goes to having professionals on duty that can recognize when they are having a problem, handle complicated procedures and equipment, etc. Part of the cost of the pill is having someone who can make sure you are getting the correct medication and dosage, bring it to your bedside, and recognize both if it's working, or if you're having an adverse reaction, and knows what to do to help you.

So, as I said, it's easy to complain that someone is overpaid when you don't really understand what it is they are being paid to do.

If you're a young (30 or under) nurse, you will see a dramatic increase in your salary as the nursing shortage hits a crisis point just as Boomers will create peak demand.

 

[rayelias]

I can't speak for Charade, but the poster to which he made that comment has a screen name starting with RN - presumably a Registered Nurse. In a prior post, that person claimed that salaries were too high. I believe Charade was asking if that included the poster's profession, as well.

Or he could be a jerk. But, I don't think so. He's a pretty good guy!

 

[npmommie]

<----------someone who didn't read through the whole thread. LOL
Yeah , I get now what he may have been implying.

 

[disney1990]

I remember when Ben & Jerry stilled owned the ice cream company, they voted not to make more than 10 times the lowest salary that was paid to any employee.

 

[Charade]

I remember when Ben & Jerry stilled owned the ice cream company, they voted not to make more than 10 times the lowest salary that was paid to any employee.

Their company, their choice.

 

[Charade]

why would you ask that?? because we are all rich rolling in dough?? or don't you think we earn our money?? just wondering

I'm just wondering where RNMOM's draws the line of who's salaries are "out of line".

I may have mistakenly assumed that she's an RN. If so, my bad.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I'm just wondering where RNMOM's draws the line of who's salaries are "out of line".

I may have mistakenly assumed that she's an RN. If so, my bad.

'who's'? I think you mean 'whose'. And I think you took her comment completely out of context - but then you knew that.

 

[Charade]

I can't speak for Charade, but the poster to which he made that comment has a screen name starting with RN - presumably a Registered Nurse. In a prior post, that person claimed that salaries were too high. I believe Charade was asking if that included the poster's profession, as well.

Or he could be a jerk. But, I don't think so. He's a pretty good guy!

If you polled the DIS and asked if they felt they were overpaid (obscenely to be accurate) I'd bet that the vast majority would say no. It's always SOMEONE ELSE that's overpaid (obscenely to be accurate) that is.

 

[Cool-Beans]

In a free country, people get paid whatever they can whether or not some third party feels they deserve it.

In socialist countries, which we are quickly becoming, governments tell people how much they can make. This "bailout" business is socialism, as is the suggestion that the government should have anything to do with a business' affairs.

Nobody needs to move anywhere to live in a country where the government is in control. Just stay put and wait a few years.

And all the folks who hate "the rich" now are going to be saying, "Wait, we didn't want THIS!! We wanted "the rich" to suffer. This sucks!" in about ten or twenty years. They're already doing it with gas prices. Very predictable and kind of funny when it happens in other countries. Not so funny when you're watching your own go down the toilet.

But there won't be any rich people. Except the government. That will give the socialists some peace of mind, I guess.

ETA: And I think RNs should be paid more money than everyone else on the planet. Especially those who work in a cardio building (or floor.)

 

[Quiksilvr]

why would you ask that?? because we are all rich rolling in dough?? or don't you think we earn our money?? just wondering

I think that with this comment you proved the point Charade was trying to make. You obviously believe that high-pay CEOs do not earn their money, thus they do not deserve it, yet at the same time, you work hard for your money, so you do deserve it. I ask, what in the world do you know about being a CEO of a major public company? Likely nothing. I work with people fairly high on the corporate ladder (General Counsel mostly) at Fortune 50 companies and I am always overwhelmed at the responsibility and work that the CEO takes on. We're talking about people who have (at the very least) tens of thousands of employees, thousands of shareholders, and millions of stakeholders who rely on their products daily! That is a lot of responsibility! Do I think the CEO of a top public company deserves to be paid more than me? Yes. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes. I wouldn't last a year in that job.

It worries me how people label numbers "obscene" without any objectivity. It's a very difficult balance to strike. I don't care if you make $35,000 a year at a company where the CEO earns $25 million. The company is paying you an amount that you're willing to work for. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. They don't owe you anything. If you want to make more money, go get a better education and work your way up the ladder.

People get caught up in this idea that their employers owe them something beyond a job with the paycheck they've agreed to. My law firm owes me nothing beyond my earned salary and benefits. I owe them nothing except the time it takes to do my tasks. They can fire me any time they want for any reason and I can quit today if I feel like it. That is the employment relationship! My DIRECT bosses make over a million dollars a year and I make... oh, probably 18-20% of what they do on average. Do I wish I got paid more? Who doesn't? Do I begrudge them their money? No because it's their firm, not mine.

At the end of the day I do agree with the OP's concept that the salaries and comp packages of bailed out companies should be limited. If the company is trying to cut costs and become a viable, solvent concern again, it needs to cut costs from top to bottom to get there. The problem is that most top executives have contracts with the companies that require them to receive those amounts. The government, by setting some sort of cap, is then screwing around with a binding contract between the company and the executive. I'm not sure how that would play out.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the end of the day I do agree with the OP's concept that the salaries and comp packages of bailed out companies should be limited. If the company is trying to cut costs and become a viable, solvent concern again, it needs to cut costs from top to bottom to get there. The problem is that most top executives have contracts with the companies that require them to receive those amounts. The government, by setting some sort of cap, is then screwing around with a binding contract between the company and the executive. I'm not sure how that would play out.

I have seen circumstances (especially with airlines) where a company has done a reorganization under the bankruptcy laws and been able to void or modify the contracts for employees of the company as part of the discharge from bankruptcy. Since it would take passage of a Federal law to allow the bailout, the legislation could also include specifically that all current employment contracts may be modified (and note I said may be, not must or will be) or even set the caps.

 

[Quiksilvr]

I have seen circumstances (especially with airlines) where a company has done a reorganization under the bankruptcy laws and been able to void or modify the contracts for employees of the company as part of the discharge from bankruptcy. Since it would take passage of a Federal law to allow the bailout, the legislation could also include specifically that all current employment contracts may be modified (and note I said may be, not must or will be) or even set the caps.

Those rules are specific to the bankruptcy code. After a company files for bankruptcy the debtor-in-possession or the trustee has significant power to avoid contracts. The company (or the trustee) has the power to do that even involuntarily. If you drafted legislation to accomplish the same thing I'm not sure that it sticks (the avoidance power in the bankruptcy code has a long history re public policy and this does not). You can't really draft the legislation to permit the company and the employee to renegotiate at their own discretion because they already have that power. Employment agreements can generally be amended by the parties.

If you try to set a cap without changing the employment agreement part of it, then technically the company will be in breach of the employment agreement if it follows the government's cap. However, most employment agreements also have clauses under which the company has the authority to unilaterally amend the agreement to comply with the law. I assume that in this event the company would use such a clause to amend the agreement.

I also assume that in the event an agreement does not have such a clause, the company will argue that you can't have a contract which forces one party to break the law to comply and the company will likely be saved from performance or damages. I'm pretty sure that's a winner in the event of litigation.

Personally, I think the idea of a hard cap is easier to enforce than giving the company the power to avoid the contract and set its own terms.

 

[npmommie]

I think that with this comment you proved the point Charade was trying to make. You obviously believe that high-pay CEOs do not earn their money, thus they do not deserve it, yet at the same time, you work hard for your money, so you do deserve it. I ask, what in the world do you know about being a CEO of a major public company? Likely nothing.

ok first of all, why in the world are you attacking ME???? Never once in this post did I state my opinion on this topic. if I did please show me.
I only responded to a post I TOOK OUT OF CONTEXT that Charade made.
so you don't know what I believe, you don't know me, you don't know anything about me or my background and what I know or don't know.
So before you attack someone on a msg board, READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!