Does anyone in state government actually work?

Listen closely as our menu options have changed...

For xxx press 1
Press 2
Press 3

Ad Nauseum

I've left dozens of messages and emails.

No response.

No, that's why they need a union.

Why start now?

One reason why I'm an advocate of doing away with the civil service at all levels. Go back to the spoil system where everyone gets fired with each change of administration. You want my vote make sure your minions work for the people.

I do, I’m chip sealing a road today

Playing at home I mean working!

I have 18 active projects I'm managing right now. FY23 just opened up and all departments have money to play with. We are busier than ever

I work harder here than most of the guys I know in the private sector

I do, I just got back from working out in the field. eating my lunch now, then back to the grind. Sorry to hear nobody answered your calls or called you back. We have a policy that someone has to answer the phone or return the call if they leave a message prior to the end of the day.

My wife does. She's a nurse at a state-run loony-bin. They are severely understaffed and the state keeps sending them violent criminals that should be locked up. Staff is assaulted on a fairly regular basis and they are not allowed to fight back. They are supposed to use their Mandt training to restrain the individuals until enough staff arrives to safely deal with it.

Yeah, she works.

Everybody thinks they work harder than anyone else.....meanwhile a state/city/federal crew of 8 men does the job that a private contractor crew of 4 would do and it takes the government crew longer...

Don't forget that the 4 private crew members are also making twice as much money as the 8 state/city/federal folks put together.

Shouldn't you be working?

I am about to head back, lunch break over. I did work through lunch though, so there is that. Had to make some phone calls to people needing help. A lot of the people I assist call me on their lunch break, so I make it a point to answer the phone or return calls then. Seems to work out well for both parties.

Have a great day.

that is not true at all....

Other way around here

It's true in Pennsylvania.

Try a burner phone they have all your numbers black listed.

If you figure in the bennies state workers get, including very early retirement, I wouldn't bet on it.

Probably.

I y'all think I'm an arse on here just get me on the phone.

Not returning calls has nothing to do with being a govt agency. Have had that with multiple private contractors almost everyday. I always think - “I am calling to use your services and PAY YOU MONEY - and you wont return my call?”

I think alot of state workers couldn't cut it in the private sector , it's much easier to go through the motions with no pressure for productivity ........ endless tax payer money , no consequences for lack luster performance or failure to meet deadlines or budgets .

Endless holiday pay , personal time off , vacation ..... forever retirement ....


Just think how fast we'd go down the crapper if we were all government workers ..... Lol

Warrior, honestly, if ya got deadbeat politicians and can't get a result, your lazy. Social media is a game changer and trust me I know that calling them out with the facts on SM is huge. Call them out in any way you can and I guarantee they'll start responding. Votes lost or gained is what brings them out from the shadows. Hold them accountable!

Being a sole proprietor I go hungry if my phone doesn't ring or get answered. I kind of take it for granted others feel the same.

Just went through this with a retaining wall contractor. 7 weeks and no communication. Emails, phone calls, etc.

He called me within 30 minutes of sending the email notifying that his PO had been cancelled

Yeah, that's true but I was raised to never ever make a fuss in public. Mama would let you know right quick like to hush up rather than air dirty laundry.

I guess I need to get over that.

That might be true, state workers get decent benefits in some professions. I was just talking salaries. I know guys that work on PennDOT's road crews and have friends that do road maintenance for private companies. The private companies pay way better, I don't know about their benefits.

2 coming, 2 going, 2 waiting, 2 watching, 2 working.

I worked for the Fed’s for years. I live in a rural area. Try getting a plumber, carpenter, electrician, etc - to come do something during our deer season. When I was working on our deer camp - I needed some plumbing work. Called seven different plumbers. Two that said they would quote never called back and never came. One came and never called back. One that came - first thing he said was “I dont do any work in crawl spaces”. The other three quoted - $1800 for low bid - $7600 for high bid. Other bid was $2400. Was going with $2400 contractor. After three months of excuses, I moved on to $1800 contractor. Did a great job.

Now, if those had been my Fed plumber - they would have been doing the work the next week. No picking and choosing what job to do. Cold, hot, windy - no matter - to to work. Break down in Campground at midnight - working on it by 2 am. No comparison between my govt workers and local contractors. None of my employees ever got to take off all of deer season.

Retired from Feds and run my own business. Arrange for custom hardware, zinc die casting, plastic injection molding, powder coating, assembly, etc. I would say about one out of five private contractors are good. One out of five are OK. Three out of five are sorry. My govt workers were far better than the average private worker - in my area.

I was a crew leader in the oilfield for ten years. I think it’s safe to say I could make it in the private sector. When I got laid off I swore I’d never go back, and got a state job. The pay is terrible but the benefits are good and I actually get to see my kids sometimes. And my body doesn’t feel like i got hit by a truck all the time, nice bonus.

The reason state workers are generally not the greatest is because the state doesn’t pay jack, so they have a hard time recruiting help that’s worth the air they breath. I’m here for the good hours and retirement.

When a private company fails to show up or call you back you can call a different company, you're forced to deal with the govt with zero other options.

The link below may explain to some extent why calls are not returned quickly or response times have increased.
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/payroll-employment-up-by-372000-in-june-2022-down-by-524000-since-february-2020.htm#:~:text=Private-sector%20employment%20has%20recovered%20the%20net%20job%20losses,hospitality%2C%20and%20health%20care.%20Chart%20Image%20Chart%20Data
Don't know if the link works but the private sector employment is now about 372K more than pre COVID. The government employment is still about 664K below the pre COVID level It did not state which areas federal, state, local or if military was included but that is a large loss of workers. If these losses were similar as done in the past then mid and upper level managers worked to protect their positions so many front line workers have less security and now the private sector is very attractive for low compensated government workers.
Bryce

As a state worker my job is to operate a crane, loader, forklift, paint striper, bucket truck, drive ten wheel dump trucks, fix road signs, do electrical work on streetlights, set up emergency traffic control and cleanup for major accidents, and operate a snowplow. How much do you think the state pays for that kind of work?

Hippie, the only state workers here that get “very early retirement” as a whole is corrections and state patrol and they can retire/are forced to at 55 due to physical job requirements etc. Full retirement age with the state is 66, if you call that early…..we’ll I guess I’m wrong. My mom worked in the private and retired nicely at 60 then had a busy and short retirement as she passed away at 68. She spent more time working with 4-H some weeks than she spent at work previously. So I do think keeping busy in retirement is important. I just don’t think a person should be forced to work too long as life is short enough as is. That said, I know guys 80 years old still driving dump truck 60 hrs/wk in the summer and they want to do nothing else so more power to them!

And I do work for the state and feel I definitely earn the state what I’m paid and more, but the same can’t be said for some others I will admit. Happy trapping! ScottW

I can tell you first hand that private sector employees make more than state employees at least here in Pa.

I would bet it is the same in all the states.

thats a pretty wide job description but around here the govt pay would likely fall in the $23-26/hr range as my best guestimate. i know of similar private sector jobs at $35 starting. been alot of "stealing" of workers between places in last couple of years in that general road maintenance/construction line of work especially with free covid money so pay rates in private sector have spiked locally

True the pay rate for local government workers is about 26.00 an hour, County is around 22.00 an hour & state is around 22.00 also, I think it's benefits that attract most workers, I was out of work since May of 2021 with an motorcycle injury, I put my retirement in this past April, Over a year and they still have my job posted & no applications submitted. Since that covid B/S started in 2020, seems nobody is interested in working whether it be Town, County or state jobs.

My dad always tells the story of one of his buddies working for the state. They were both machinists and the fellow had moved on. My father asked him what he did and he responded, “as little as possible!” In Pa.

Sounding like some folks might need a wambulance they got too work so hard.

Private sector you’re pretty close, but for state workers you’re way high. At least in Nevada, I’ve never worked for any other states. I make $15.06 an hour. The only reason I stay is the work schedule, retirement, a few of the benefits and the fact that they allow me to bank exchange summer overtime hours for time and a half In PTO during trapping season.

IDK maybe if you compare just an hourly wage but total compensation seems to keep people from quiting

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/...out-pa-state-government-top-earners.html

Everybody makes a choice in life. Im not going to knock a man for finding a good paying job with bennies and sticking with it. Heck, I wish more people would, whether public or private...

I think that is mostly politicians, high-ranking bureaucrats, school administrators, etc. Not many of them to compare to in the private sector!

Yes antigov, but that includes city and county workers. City guys here start at $22 an hour. State workers here make considerably less than county or city.

Bob , you better be gettin some good bennies , your skill set should get a good job elsewhere . I think some of the fast food joints here start at $17

120 hours paid vacation a year, 120 hours paid sick time, 2 paid personal days, 11 paid holidays, college tuition reimbursement up to and including a doctorate should I choose to get a degree, they pay for all work clothes and a laundry service that washes them for me, $225 a year for boots, $1300/mo toward health insurance premiums, discounts at certain retail stores, I don’t pay into social security, to name a few.

Like I said, the benefits are what keeps me there.

If you are a sworn officer, there will be charges for assaulting an officer.
If you're not, you are expected to suck it up and drive on.
I'm glad that I don't know first hand, but my brother was not so lucky.

Actually, my brother worked in a county jail so not a state employee, but I think that it's in the same vein.
People don't seem to realize that nearly every lowlife that winds up a lifer or on death row was first locked up in the county jail.