Two union negotiators earn as much as Malloy, 27 earn six figures

It is well known that Gov. Dannel Malloy makes $150,000 in salary. In fact, the salaries of most state employees are public information.

But what do the union negotiators who represent state employees make?

The federal government collects information on four of the 13 unions that make up the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition. The remaining unions don’t file or claim exemptions from the requirement.

SEBAC represents most of the employees from whom Malloy is seeking $2 billion in concessions over the next two years.

Malloy makes less than 1,126 state employees, but he also makes a little bit less than two of the union leaders he may find across the negotiating table.

Salvatore Luciano, executive director of AFSCME Council 4, made $151,003 in 2010, while Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, made $150,165.

Malloy’s chief negotiator, Mark Ojakian, deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, makes $170,000.

AFSCME Council 4 represents 33,200 state and municipal workers who pay $21.80 per month in dues. In all, the union collects $9.1 million from its members.

The average Council 4 employee earned $84, 249 in 2010.

Larry Dorman, a Council 4 employee who serves as a spokesman for SEBAC, did not respond to an email requesting comment.

AFT Connecticut represents 27,488 teachers and public employees. Each member pays $18.13 per month in dues for a total of $5.7 million.

The average AFT employee earned $97,460.

Salary, membership and financial information is publicly available for four of the 13 SEBAC member unions through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Most unions are required to file an LM2 form on an annual basis, similar to the IRS 990 form required of other nonprofit groups.

Nine of the 13 SEBAC unions did not file an LM2 for 2010. AFSCME Council 4, AFT Connecticut, SEIU 1199 and SEIU 2001 are the four that filed.

The 10 highest paid employees of the four unions are all from Council 4 and AFT Connecticut. After Luciano and Palmer, the highest paid are:

Melodie Peters, AFT, $128,722
Kevin Murphy, Council 4, $126,673
Leo Canty, AFT, $125,663
Peter Thor, Council 4, $118,233
Teresa Merisotis, AFT, $117,841
Patricia Walters, AFT , $115,891
Robert Ceritelli, AFT, $115,782
Eric Bailey, AFT, $115,186

Another 17 union employees make at least $100,000.

Robert Rinker, executive director of SEIU 2001, made $112,618 and his assistant director of administration, Michael Nortz, made $100,511.

SEIU 2001 represented 22,720 members in 2010. Each member pays 1 percent of their annual salary to the union, with a minimum payment of $300 and a maximum of $832, for a total collection of $5.1 million.

The average SEIU 2001 employee earned $68,174 last year.

Carmen Boudier, president of SEIU 1199, earned $107,367 last year, while the union’s secretary-treasurer, David Pickus, made $101,293.

SEIU 1199 represents 18,143 healthcare workers who pay between $19 and $65 per month generating $12.1 million in revenue.

The average SEIU 1199 employee earned $55,891 last year.

The average SEIU 1199 member paid $667 in dues last year, significantly more than the other three unions. Council 4 members paid an average of $274, SEIU 2001 members paid $224 and AFT members paid $207.

State Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, who works for Council 4 as a service representative made $74,742 last year.

Former Rep. David McCluskey, D-West Hartford, who gave up his seat to serve on the Board of Pardons and Paroles, earned $58,840 as a political educator for SEIU 2001, also known as the Connecticut State Employees Association.