It’s a puzzler. Wait. No it isn’t.
From the Chicago News Cooperative (published in the NY Times):
City Colleges of Chicago has generated more than $7 million in postemployment sick day payments for about 140 former employees in the last decade, according to records obtained by the Better Government Association.
Wayne Watson, the former chancellor at Chicago’s community colleges, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the policy — he accrued 500 unused sick days, for which he will be paid about $500,000.
Mr. Watson, who stepped down from the top job in 2009, has already received about $300,000 in sick day payments and he will receive two more annual payments of $100,000. City Colleges records show the system has paid retirees at least $3 million and still owes them $4.2 million.
In addition to Mr. Watson, at least 15 former City Colleges administrators were owed $100,000 or more in unused sick time payments in the last decade, according to records. Charles Guengerich, a former president of Wilbur Wright College on the Northwest Side, was due $309,061 in sick time. Martin Faber, former executive director of business services at Richard J. Daley College on the Southwest Side, was expected to receive $216,973.
On Friday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office ordered City Colleges to halt all payments for unused sick time to Mr. Watson and other former administrators while his office tried to determine whether the money still owed to them must be paid. “The mayor has zero tolerance on this,” said Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for Mr. Emanuel. “This is not a benefit City of Chicago employees receive.”
Read the rest HERE.
h/t to Michal for the pointer.
The Harold Lounge 
I am sure it WILL be used to criticize teachers and unions, and of course these attacks will be illicit. But let’s not muddy the waters here: the issue presented in this article is real and outrageous. When we are struggling for funds to hire new instructors; when the majority of our instructors are adjuncts who are grossly underpaid and receive zero benefits; when we couldn’t even get funds to purchase some coffee and snacks for a faculty/student coffee hour in room 101; and at the same time individuals are getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for literally doing nothing. On this, I believe that cleaning up how funding is used is worth the cost of some illicit arguments of teachers. I just hope that the Chicago administration remembers that they are illicit, and either ignores them or advocates FOR teachers for once.
Well put.
I can only speak about Marty Faber. The guy was NEVER absent. He put in 12 hour days 5-6 days a week. He worked hard for the CCC. He didn’t take his sick days. They owe him that money! It’s a shame. You are considered a bad employee if you take your sick days and a bad employee if you don’t…what’s next?…no sick days? Have you looked at the job postings & Board Reports lately? They’ve got money for Administrators. Oh, and money for software/technology so they can eliminate more positions. You want money for coffee and snacks…we haven’t had scotch tape or pens since October!
I don’t know who Marty Faber is. But I know a lot of people who put in 12 hour days 5-6 days a week, and who rarely or never take sick days. They’re called teachers, and they DON’T get that money. Nobody is owed that kind of money.
A CCC adjunct teaching six classes per semester would take around 11 years of solid work to make 216k, at roughly $1,600 per class per semester (12 classes per year X 1.6k…), all without medical, dental, retirement, or other benefits. There is no justice in that. This is how we compensate the people on our front lines, and we wonder why we have trouble keeping our students on the track to graduation.
Together with Julius Nadas, Charles Guengerich & Wayne Watson are absolute huge ZEROES!!! They did not do anything for me when I was given bad grades. All I ever got was problems, warnings, arrest warrants, etc… Just because I was fighting for what’s right, just because I stood for my principles, my rights, my ethix, my morals. Nadas, my cobol programmer forced me to take the test when I was not ready & I faxed him I will not come to the final. Otherwise I had perfect attendence. GUengerish scumbag did not care when I tried to have my illegal grade overturned. THis is amazing. Watson also listened to Guengerich but he also did not do a damn thing for me & for justice. These people r total trash who dont deserve a penny! Wilbur Wright/CCC together with WH Taft/CPS destroyed my, ma’s, grandma’s lifes. Now I have criminal record over nothing. One negative thing led to many other negatice things… 😦
You mean one negative thing lead to many other negative things… You mean you faxed julius nadas jnadas@ccc.edu instead of calling or emailing him & he was pissed off about that?! But in the syllabus it does not say one can not fax teacher to inform him he/she will not be coming. How pathetic. Nadas said CCC investigated this & it turned out that Ljupco/Lupco Steriev lied but how could he lied if he chose to go to jail 3x over something he is very convinced is his right. He thaught justice & truth was on his side but not in usa, at least not anymore after 911 when terrorists won psychologically over overprotetice protection seeking americans, wow, it was ever thus…
Make sure y’all read the Chancellor’s official statement on the matter:
http://ccc.edu/news/Pages/Statement-from-Chancellor-Hyman-on-Sick-Pay-Policy.aspx
At least she acknowledges “the practice squandered taxpayer dollars that should be used in the classroom.”
I wonder if they’re comin’ after Angela too?
That statement is good to see.
When you retire you’re going to turn down your payout, right? Donate it all back to CCC?
I suspect I won’t be receiving 200,000 for sick days when I retire, in addition to my retirement. If I did, yeah, I’d probably create a scholarship for HWC students or something. This is ridiculous.
Yup, white collar scum like charles guengerich & wayne watson are squanders, wasters of hard working blue collar people! 😦
Chicago City Colleges like Chicago Public Schools are absolute waste of tax payers’ money. Eternal shame on charles guengerich, wayne watson, juilis nadas (“distinguished professor”) from crappy wilbur wright!!!
This is totally unacceptable & what they did to mr. Lupco Steriev is beyond crime. Julius Nadas, Charles Guengerich, Wayne Watson, partner is crimes & lies. Lupco simply wanted incorrect Cobol grade changed to W. So much (tragedies, loss of money) could have been prevented with that simple stroke of a pen. Lupco was accused he wanted to burn down shitty Willbur Wright just because he said he is just like the victims of 12/1903 fire of The Iroquis Theater. HOW STUPID CAN ONE GET? DUH!!!!
Assholes like Charles Guengerich should not be teachers as they do not have professional & psychological approach towards students original & hard to resolve problems. FUCK & CURSE FOREVER SUCH PEOPLE, MAY LIFE’S & GOD’S BLESSINGS NEVER COME THEIR WAYS!!!