"Pay Fairness Act" Another Democrat Political Gimmick To Woo WHITE, Women Voters!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What is the "Pay Fairness Act"?

Another Political Gimmick cooked up by Congress (Democrats) to continue Pandering to WHITE, Female Voters in America, just as the "Lilly Ledbetter Act" was enacted for.

Who gives a Blankety-Blank-Blank about BLACK Women, Latino Women, BLACK Men & Latino Men?

As long as WHITE, Female Voters get what they want & keep Supporting Pres. Obama its all good right?

Tell that to Thousands of BLACK & Latino Women who were Laid-Off their Jobs from March 2009 to March 2012!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama pushing for Paycheck Fairness Act

President Barack Obama and his allies in the Senate pushed Tuesday for a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace, an election-year effort to merge political appeals to women with the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession.

The device for this debate is legislation without hope for surviving the Senate this year, but with meaning for women workers making an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. Lilly Ledbetter, the face of the movement for workplace equality, is expected to speak alongside Senate Democrats and watch the vote from the Senate gallery. She has long complained that Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, won't say whether he supports the bill.

"To those of our colleagues who claim to be so concerned about the economy and the middle class, now is your chance to prove to your constituents that you really mean what you say," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., as debate opened Tuesday. "The paycheck fairness act is not just about women, and it is not just about fairness. It is about the economy."

The debate has Republicans on the defensive, arguing that stabilizing the economy is the best way to ensure equal treatment and that the bill would unfairly burden employers.

"Of course Gov. Romney supports pay equity for women," said Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. "In order to have pay equity, women need to have jobs, and they have been getting crushed in this anemic Obama economy, losing far more jobs than men."

The response came amid a choreographed showdown on the Senate floor over the "Paycheck Fairness Act," a measure that aims to strengthen the Fair Labor Standards Act's protections against paycheck inequities based on gender.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., would require employers to prove that differences in pay are based on qualifications, education and other "bona fides" not related to gender. It also would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who ask about, discuss or disclose wages in response to a complaint or investigation. And it would subject employers who violate sex discrimination laws liable for either compensatory or punitive damages. Under the bill, the federal government would be exempt from punitive damages.

Proponents of the bill say it is the next step after the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which Obama signed into law in 2009. The law effectively overturned a Supreme Court decision that had strictly limited workers' ability to file lawsuits over pay inequity. Ledbetter said she didn't become aware of her own pay discrepancy until she neared the end of her 1979-1988 career at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden, Ala.

Near the end of her career, she received an anonymous tip that she was earning less than her male colleagues. She filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A jury initially awarded her more than $3 million in back pay and punitive damages, a sum that a judge later reduced to $300,000.

The Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling in May 2007 threw out Ledbetter's complaint, saying she was required to bring suit within 180 days of the initial act of discrimination even though she was not aware at the time that she was receiving less than her male colleagues.

The Ledbetter Act clarified that the 180-day statute of limitations is extended every time an employer violates the law by issuing a paycheck or engages in other practices that discriminate. Therefore, if an employee alleges that she received a salary 20 years ago that was less than that of male co-workers because of discrimination, each new paycheck since that occurrence would be a new unlawful employment practice that resets the statute of limitations. The bill retains current limits on employer liability by restricting back pay awards to two years.


Sources: ABC News, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow Blog, Youtube

Obama Freezes Pay Of 2M Federal Employees But Not Bonuses

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama Freezes Federal Worker Pay


President Barack Obama on Monday called for freezing the pay of 2 million federal employees, saying the move is the first of many difficult decisions that must be made to slash the nation's mounting deficits.

"The hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government," Obama said.

The two-year freeze would apply to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense, but would not affect military personnel. The freeze is expected to save more than $5 billion in savings over two years, $28 billion over five years and more than $60 billion over 10 years, White House officials said.

Federal pay is determined by Congress, and lawmakers must approve Obama's call for a freeze.

Congress is not covered by Obama's order, but lawmakers voted last April to freeze their pay, with the House and Senate opting to forgo an automatic $1,600 annual cost-of-living increase. House members and senators now are paid $174,000 a year. Their last pay increase was $4,700 a year at beginning of 2009.

The president's pay of $400,000 a year was fixed by Congress in January 2001. It has not changed since then.

While Obama said the federal employee salary freeze was necessary to put the nation on sound fiscal footing, he also said that he didn't reach the decision lightly. "This is not just a line item on a federal ledger," he said. "These are people's lives."

The savings from the pay freeze make only a small dent in the nation's $1 trillion-plus budget deficit. But with voters voicing their anger over Washington's spending during the midterm elections, even a symbolic gesture would show the White House got the message.

Obama and bipartisan congressional leaders will meet at the White House Tuesday for the first time since Republicans gained control of the House and increased their strength in the Senate during the midterm elections. Obama said he hopes the move to freeze federal pay sets a serious tone for the meetings. "We're going to have to budge on some deeply held positions, and compromise for the good of the country," Obama said.

California Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, said that while the pay freeze was "long overdue," the president and congressional leaders should take additional steps to reduce spending, including imposing a federal hiring freeze of non-security employees.

The co-chairmen of Obama's bipartisan deficit commission have proposed a three-year freeze in pay for most federal employees as part of its plan to reduce the nation's growing deficit. The commission's proposal also suggested cuts to Social Security benefits and higher taxes for millions of Americans to stem the flood of red ink that they say threatens the nation's very future. The popular child tax credit and mortgage interest deduction also would be eliminated.

The commission's final report is due to be released later this week.

Shortly after taking office in January 2009, Obama froze salaries of top White House aides. He proposed extending that freeze to political appointees across the government in last year's budget, and also eliminated bonuses for political appointees.

The pay freeze would not affect bonuses or step increases for federal employees.

Labor leaders assailed Obama's decision as bad for the economy and the middle class. "We need to invest in creating jobs, not undermining the ones we have," AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said in a statement.

John Gage, president of the 600,000-member American Federation of Government Employees, called the decision "a slap at working people."

"Working people's wages are not the issue with this deficit or what is going on in our country," Gage said. "To symbolically hit at federal employees I think is just wrong."

Gage said the White House was using federal workers as scapegoats for the nation's deficit problems. He said the move would not really save as much as the White House claims because federal employees often get just a fraction of projected raises. Federal workers received a 1.9 percent pay increase this year.


View Larger Map


Sources: MSNBC, TIME, White House, Youtube, Google Maps

Curt Walton Gets Another Raise In Looming Recession

Last Night Most Of Charlotte's City Council Members Voted To Give Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton A 4% Pay Raise In A Recession Might I Add!

This Current City Council Being Led By A Black Mayor (Anthony Foxx) Has Done Less For Charlotte's Black Community Than Any Of His White Predecessors.

In Fact Mr. Foxx Has Completely Sold Out Charlotte's Black Voters For Personal Gain.

He Would Sell Out His Wife, Kids, Grandmother & Blood Cousins If It Means Keeping Charlotte's Pre-Dominantly Wealthy White Power Structure Happy And His Pockets Full!

So Sad.

Check Out The Related Article Below. Peace


Charlotte City Council Narrowly Approves 4% Pay Hike For City Manager Curt Walton


Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton was given nearly a 4 percent raise over his pay last year - to a total compensation package of $234,537 - the City Council narrowly voted Monday night.

Walton's base salary last year was $200,312, plus he was given allowances for a car and other expenses that raised his total pay to roughly $210,000. In addition last year, he received a $16,000 bonus that pushed his compensation to roughly $226,000.

Despite the poor economy, Walton lobbied council members for more money, believing he is underpaid compared with other city managers as well as other local government officials. The council voted 6-5 to give him a flat salary, which includes bonus money and an allowance.

Voting for the pay increase were Democrats Nancy Carter, Patsy Kinsey, David Howard, James Mitchell, Jason Burgess and Republican Edwin Peacock.

Voting against the pay hike were Republicans Andy Dulin and Warren Cooksey, and Democrats Michael Barnes, Warren Turner and Patrick Cannon.

Mayor Anthony Foxx, a Democrat, doesn't vote on pay issues, said City Attorney Mac McCarley, who also received a pay increase Monday night.

Foxx said he wouldn't veto the pay hike, even though he's against it because the timing isn't right in a poor economy.

"I disagree with it," Foxx said. "But there are certain issues that belong to the full council. This is one of them."

Council members who voted for the pay package said Walton was doing a good job.

Said Carter: "We appreciate our manager and all that he's done."

While Mecklenburg County made steep cuts to schools, libraries and social services to balance its budget, the city's financial picture was less severe. Charlotte balanced its budget with smaller cuts, and was able to give city workers a 2 percent raise for the current fiscal year.

Peacock, the only Republican who supported the pay hike, said he felt the manager deserved more money when compared to other managers. He said that if the city had hired an outside candidate to replace then-city manager Pay Syfert in 2007, Charlotte would have had to pay significantly more than what Walton earns.

The City Council discussed Walton and City Attorney Mac McCarley's pay during closed session Monday afternoon. When they took a vote on their pay Monday night, the city briefly showed a slide of what other city managers make, but that wasn't made available to the public before or after the vote.

McCarley's pay for the upcoming year will be $194,596. A year ago, McCarley received $175,781 in salary and a $15,000 bonus.

The bonuses were controversial a year ago. Walton had cut all pay raises and bonuses for city staff for fiscal 2010, and then accepted a bonus at a time when his employees weren't receiving any pay increases.

At the time, Walton said the $16,000 bonus was for fiscal year 2009. Monday night's decision was an evaluation for fiscal year 2010, and Walton received more money.

Walton earns less than some peers in Mecklenburg. County Manager Harry Jones is slated to receive $283,011 this year after commissioners voted to shift most of his bonus into his base salary. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman's total compensation last year was $302,000, and he declined a bonus.

Michael Smith, president and chief executive of Center City Partners, received just under $300,000 in total compensation, including retirement benefits, according to the group's 2008 tax return. Center City Partners, which is funded primarily by a special tax uptown, is tasked with promoting and developing uptown.

A year ago, when the council voted for Walton to receive a bonus, Barnes and former Mayor Pat McCrory voted against it.

McCarley said Monday night that technically McCrory's vote didn't count because the mayor is only allowed to vote on the status of a manager's employment - not his pay.


View Larger Map


Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Harry Jones' Compensation Package "Explained" By Dumont Clarke (N.C. Corruption)

Looking More Closely At Harry Jones' "Pay Cut"


Spin. Some politicians have turned it into an art form. But don't you wish Charlotte-Mecklenburg County commissioners could give it to you straight when they talk about how much you're paying County Manager Harry Jones?

Commissioners voted unanimously to change their approach to Jones' compensation Tuesday night. But the message taxpayers might have taken away isn't the whole story.

Commissioners emphasized that they were eliminating Jones' bonus. And they emphasized that his total compensation would drop 6.6 percent - a decline, Democratic commissioner Dumont Clarke said, that "would exceed the reductions of most other county employees."

A deeper look suggests something less sacrificial.

Jones' total compensation coming in to 2009-10 was $264,454, plus whatever "at-risk" pay, if any, commissioners would award him. His total compensation for next year will be $283,011, with no eligibility for a bonus. So in a year when Jones and commissioners are cutting millions from schools, parks, libraries and other areas, Jones' total compensation before "at-risk" pay is rising $18,557, or 7 percent.

Jones, in essence, traded "at-risk" pay, which could be up to 30 percent of his base pay but could also be zero, for an additional $18,557 that is not at-risk, but guaranteed.

In other words, the only reason county commissioners can say that Jones is taking a 6.6 percent pay cut for next year is because they awarded him a lavish $38,400 bonus amid severe budget cuts to county services and when one of his largest departments, the Department of Social Services, was marred by financial mismanagement. He should not have gotten that bonus. And if he had not, the commissioners' actions Tuesday would be considered a raise, not a cut.

More than half of the 6.6 percent drop in his compensation stems from the elimination of his 401(k) match, which simply means that he will play under the same rules as every other county employee, who will see their 401(k) matches vaporized as well.

Democratic commissioner Dan Murrey said it was ironic that Jones was taking a $20,000 cut "in probably the toughest year you've had to do your job." What's ironic, or just disingenuous, is that Jones could be made out to be sacrificing when the compensation he's guaranteed to get is shooting up while that of other county employees is going down.



Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Leaders Eliminates Harry Jones' Bonus, Wink! Wink!


Charlotte-Mecklenburg County commissioners agreed Tuesday to change the way they pay County Manager Harry Jones, including eliminating performance bonuses from future compensation packages.

Under his previous contract, Jones had been eligible for a performance bonus of up to 30 percent of his base pay.

He has been criticized often in the past year for a $38,400 bonus that commissioners approved last year amid budget cuts to county services and other agencies.

In lieu of a bonus - which commissioners also have called "at-risk" pay the past two years - Jones' base salary could change each year based on the "prevailing market rate" for his position.

For the year that begins July 1, Jones' base pay will increase to $242,500 from the $215,655 he received this year.

But his total compensation will go down about 6.6percent compared to the current year, dropping to $283,011. Commissioner Dumont Clarke said the decline "would exceed the reductions of most other county employees."

In addition, Clarke said Jones also will receive no match to his 401(k) plan, mirroring a hit taken by other county employees.

Several commissioners noted that Jones had requested that his compensation be reduced this year. Dan Murrey said the change was "by no means an indication of our assessment of (Jones') performance."

He said it was ironic that the manager had seen no change in his salary the past two years, but is now taking a $20,000 cut in his compensation "in probably the toughest year you've had to do your job."






Charlotte Leaders Pay $2M For Park At Harry Jones' Church (Vote Buying Scheme)


Folks if this isn't an example of a Charlotte, NC Vote Buying Scheme (Black voters) I don't know what is.

Check out the detailed article from WCNC below.

What a shame!

Remember this example of Public Corruption when you visit the polls in 2011 and 2012. Vote Jennifer Roberts out of office!




Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Leaders Spend $2M In Tax Money For Park On Harry Jones' Church Land (Vote Buying Scheme)


At a time when Mecklenburg County is forced to cut almost 200 jobs from its Park and Recreation Department, the county budget sets aside $60,000 to plan a park that it cannot afford to build.

The NewsChannel 36 I-Team found Mecklenburg County set aside $2 million in a one-of-a-kind deal to build the park on property owned by a church, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on Beatties Ford Road.

Few debate that the county could use more ball fields along Beatties Ford Road. But some fiscal conservatives have questioned how the church won the one-of-a-kind deal and why it is still funded in a time of sharp cutbacks.

Former Charlotte City Councilman Don Reid is one.

"I don't know how we can invest taxpayer money on a piece of property owned by a church," said Reid, who calls the process used to award the park "a good ole boy network again."

But Reid's so-called "good ole boy" network included an up-and-coming woman -- Mary E. Wilson.

Since the summer of 2008 Wilson has served as the director of Mecklenburg County's Department of Social Services. And the I-Team has raised questions about Wilson mixing state funds with her church -- Friendship Missionary Baptist.

In December 2008, Wilson spent $20,000 of public funds on caterers, entertainment and door prizes for a holiday party for all 1,200 DSS staff held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. When questioned, a DSS spokeswoman said the county did not pay for the use of the church facility. She said it had been paid for by an anonymous donor.

But before her county job, Wilson earned more than $86,000 a year as the executive director of Friendship's Community Development Corporation.

And as executive director in 2006 she helped the church pitch its park plan to the county's Park and Recreation Commission. But in the summer of 2006, Wilson joined the very same Park and Rec Commission.

"Connect the dots," said Reid. "Friendship Baptist Church. Mary Wilson. Mary Wilson goes to the park board and the board then decides to fund the church's project."

Wilson abstained from voting on the Friendship Sportsplex and did not participate in discussion at the board meeting where the board approved the park. Experts in state conflict of interest law at the UNC School of Government tell the I-Team that Wilson apparently did not violate any rule or law.

"Personally, I wouldn't allow that to happen," said Park Director Jim Garges, who joined the department after the Friendship Park had passed the board but before it passed the County Commission. "There wasn't anything she (Wilson) did or anything I was aware of I would consider a conflict of interest."

But e-mails obtained by the I-Team show Wilson advocated for the park in March 2008 when it was pending before the County Commission.

When Park Commissioner Brad Pearce e-mailed staff that he was frustrated with the lack of information about the Friendship park, a project which he supported, it was Wilson who responded in less than an hour.

"Let's be reasonable and work together," Wilson wrote. "I am sensing a less than positive partnership tone."

While they may have had their differences on the way the park was handled, Pearce now says he believes Wilson handled her conflict of interest appropriately.

"Certainly no one at the church ever contacted me and asked for special treatment," Pearce said.

The I-Team tried to reach Wilson last week and this week through a county spokesman and by leaving a message on her cell phone. She did not return repeated calls.

But in a church with thousands of members, Wilson was not the only one with political clout.

County General Manager Bobbie Shields, who oversees the Park and Recreation Department, is also a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.

But County Manager Harry Jones tells the I-Team that Shields turned over all control of the park awards to another general manager, John McGillicuddy. And Garges and Pearce both say Shields had no impact on the decision to locate the park at the church.

"Bobbie Shields had no influence over that decision," said Pearce.

"And, if anything, particularly with Bobbie, he went the other way -- 'Don't show me. Don't tell me. I don't want to know anything about it,'" said Garges.

(Some viewers have written that Harry Jones is also a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church but Jones told the I-Team he is not a member of the church.)

Under the terms of the lease agreement between Mecklenburg County and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the county leases the land for 40 years for the sum of $1, with the county retaining the right to renew the lease for another 40 years. The county agrees to build ball fields on the property. And the church gets first dibs on selling any concessions at no cost, keeping all the proceeds.

Most county parks sit on county land. Here and there Mecklenburg County has a boat ramp on Duke Energy property. The county once placed a track on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University. But for the most part, county planners envision putting parks on public land.

And when voters OK'd a public bond issue for parks in 2004, the Park and Recreation Commission anticipated allocating $8 million for joint public-private partnerships, but that the parks would be placed on county land.

In the case of two of the three winning projects, for the towns of Huntersville and Matthews, the parks went on public land. But in the case of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the county entered into a unique lease.

Garges says Friendship was chosen because it had land available for a park and "If anybody else wants a park, give us a call."

But the county doesn't even have the money to build the Friendship Park, let alone take on new parks.

In a time of budget cutbacks, cutting about four out of every 10 park and rec employees, the new county budget contains a capital expense of $60,000 for this year and next to plan for the Friendship park, even though the county does not have the money to build it.


View Larger Map


Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Google Maps

Obama Advocates Fair Pay For Doctors...Weekly Address

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Youtube

Bankers Continue To Receive Raises Despite Recession

FT.com----

Wall Street names that have been among the most buffeted in recent months – Merrill Lynch, UBS and Citigroup – are hiking pay for their top investment bankers in an attempt to stop an exodus of talent.

Rivals report that poaching the best people from troubled banks has become far trickier. “Since the middle of May it has got far more difficult to get the people we want,” said one senior banker.

Between late 2008 and May, expansionist banks such as Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank had plundered hundreds of senior bankers from those groups that were laid low by the financial crisis, in particular Merrill and UBS.

“I would say UBS and Merrill have each lost 25 per cent of their best people,” said Patrick Field, chairman of London-based financial headhunter Hanover Search.

In spite of the troubled environment, market rates for bankers have been running close to the boom-time highs of two years ago. “In some cases we’ve been paying up to 80 per cent of 2007,” admitted one senior executive at an expanding bank.

But the environment changed four or five weeks ago, bankers say. Partly driven by a need to hold on to good staff – and partly to offset the threat of bonus taxes or caps in the US – UBS, Merrill and Morgan Stanley have all increased their basic pay substantially. Citi now plans to do the same.

According to insiders and rivals, market salary rates for managing directors have jumped from about $250,000 (€180,000) only a few months ago, to closer to $400,000.

As well as base salary hikes, banks are once more offering guaranteed bonuses to staff approached with lucrative offers by rivals. Bank of America, for example, has seen off attempts to poach top Merrill bankers by matching or bettering offers.

Regulators will be concerned – increasing basic pay and guaranteeing bonuses run directly counter to their efforts to push banks towards pay that better reflects long-term performance.

There have also been small signs of the trampled banks scoring coups of their own. Last week UBS hired a new strategy chief, Vesna Nevistic, from Goldman Sachs while last month it took on Rajeev Misra, formerly of Deutsche Bank, as global head of credit.


View Larger Map

Sources: FT.com, Huffington Post, Google Maps