“These pensions are putting an enormous burden on the state budget,” said Greg Sullivan, a former state inspector general now with the Pioneer Institute. “It’s taking away money we need for roads, bridges and to fix the MBTA.”
Sullivan said the cost of footing the bill for these golden years has “skyrocketed” — forcing the state Legislature to pump $2.4 billion into that budget in 2018. He warned that the tab for this liability will climb to $11 billion by 2033.
“This is such a serious problem,” Sullivan added, “it’s become almost unrealistic.”
The 124,000-plus pension payouts studied by the Herald show former provosts, professors, prosecutors, teachers, social workers, toll collectors and prison guards collecting hefty checks:
Two former UMass Medical junior chancellors pulled down $347,000 and $338,000, respectively, last year. Both retired recently.
Ten retirees were close behind at more than $200,000 each last year, including William “Billy” Bulger, the brother of slain Southie mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. The former UMass president and onetime state Senate president took home $201,656 last year.
One man who retired in 1953 from “state service” was listed as collecting $12,200 last year. Others left state work in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and are still collecting checks.
Most retired public school teachers were paid about $50,000 last year, but the top earner in this category chalked up $149,000.
School superintendents and teachers from Athol to Wrentham had annual pensions of $209,000 to $400. (That was a teacher on Nantucket.)
Retired toll collectors, who had their jobs eliminated due to electronic tolling, clocked in at $61,000 and $56,000 a year, on the high side, to $9,959 in the slow lane.
Sullivan, who collects a $91,000 annual pension for his stint as an inspector general, said the culprit is the state’s growing payroll.