LETTER: The controversy over CEO pay
In the May 2 Review-Journal, reporter Bailey Schulz provided readers with a detailed analysis of the difference in pay between gaming CEOs and casino employees. The subheadline was “Gap between bosses, workers rises for decades, research says.”
Why do the researchers always focus on the differences between CEO salaries and workers at large companies but not in the movies, sports and music industry, where individuals act as their own CEO’s and make millions more than most corporate leaders? Do we really expect a CEO of a major gaming company to have a salary remotely close to that of a card dealer or a person who waits on tables?
I never hear reporters compare the salaries of these highly paid singers, actors or sports figures to the people who sell you beer at the ball stadium, the stage hand at a concert or all those who operate behind the movie scenes for these so-called “stars.” There always seems to be a war against the CEO’s of our leading companies in this country, and there is always the attempt to create a class warfare environment.
I don’t care how much money anyone makes and am glad certain professions rake in the millions. Good for them. A college professor of mine once posed the following question to the students, “How much is a fair wage?” The answer was as much as you can get. So let’s stop feeding jealousy over what someone else makes and concentrate on the individual getting the most out of negotiating a salary.
