State Employees Average 65 Hours of Sick Time per Year

Wow.

State employees on average use 65 hours - or a week and a half - of sick leave each year. Lawmakers said they believe that is higher than the private sector and want to see a further analysis of the issue.

“I don’t think I’ve used 65 hours of sick time in my entire working career,” said Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa). “If I’m running a business or state agency and someone were to call in sick and they weren’t, then they’re lying to the boss. They should be disciplined.”

[...]

Auditors reported last month that the state’s overtime costs rose 15.2% from 2005 to 2007, from $56.5 million to $65.1 million. They found 59 employees who earned more than $100,000 in overtime alone over those three years.

65 hours of sick time is the average?  I agree with Sullivan, that’s obscene.  Except for a year when I was out for a week to get my appendix out, I maybe use one sick day every other year.  And thinking back through my career, I’ve been pretty typical.

Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Randall) said lawmakers need to compare the number of sick days that state employees earn with what private-sector workers get. Correctional officers can earn nearly four weeks of sick leave a year.

“That seems like a lot,” Kerkman said.

You think! 

Don’t tell me that there aren’t ways to reduce spending in state government.