Vonna Viglione: Large merit pay an insult to taxpayers

Regarding the March 4 news article “Spellings to get $90,000 performance bonus” and the March 4 business article “Duke Energy CEO’s pay jumped 27 percent to $13.8M last year”: I am disgusted with the reports that the CEO for Duke Energy (Lynn Good) and the head of the UNC system (Margaret Spellings) will get unconscionable “raises” and bonuses.

Duke Energy knows its actions have not been in the public interest, despite its privileged position as a “public utility.” Holding its shareholder meeting in a “virtual” space shows that it too knows this.

The UNC Board of Governors say that the already amply paid Spellings deserves a whopping $90,000 for “performance.” What “performance”? What is the basis for this giveaway? She’s already well-compensated.

Merit pay at this level is an insult to every taxpayer and worker in the state, private or public sector. There is, however, one sign of a “dubious” kind of progress.

Not so long ago the people receiving these pay boosts would have been white males. There is another kind of great inequality at large in our country.

These raises represent the rapacious and partisan ethos of “to the victors belong the spoils.”

Duke Energy continues to stand in the way of real energy independence, and the GOP “strategy” is to monetize, politicize and eviscerate key elements of the UNC system. Nothing worth celebrating or “rewarding” here.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Vonna Viglione: Large merit pay an insult to taxpayers."