Gannett Wisconsin to launch updated series on public employee pay
Gannett Wisconsin Media is gearing up for another installment of its “What We Pay” investigative series that examines the salaries of public employees. As Log readers may remember, the initial series was published in January, along with online and in-print lists of what public employees earn. The series generated discussion around the merits of posting such a sizable list of individuals’ salaries, and also served as the basis for a column from Chancellor Tom Harden that ran in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. In it, Harden pointed out that the series confirmed what officials long have known — many UW System (and specifically UW-Green Bay) employees are underpaid. Steps have been taken to address the issue, with the completion of a compensation study and related adjustments that recently took effect for some University employees.
In a column published Sunday (Aug. 11), Gannett Wisconsin editor John Ferak writes about the next phase of the series, which will include an updated database and will be expanded to include legislative and judicial staff members who were not included the first time around. A video overview and the newest online salary databases are expected to be posted Wednesday (Aug. 14) on Gannett Wisconsin websites including the Press-Gazette’s, with accompanying stories in print Sunday, Aug. 18 and Monday, Aug. 19.
You can check out Ferak’s column, along with Harden’s column from January, by clicking the links below:
John Ferak column
Chancellor Tom Harden column