Maybe Ron is onto something:

• Most top managers at the CTA have gotten double-digit salary increases in the last three years -- including 6 percent increases for most nonunion employees in early 2008. But it wasn't like they were rolling in money last year, even with a pay raise that most people would have been thrilled to see, says Ron Huberman, the former CTA president who has just moved to lead Chicago's school system. You need to take into account that those bosses had to pay more in taxes and also had to start paying 6 percent into pension and health accounts, Huberman says. Then, he says, the amount of money paid to CTA management employees who stayed at the same job actually went down last year.

In the midst of a financial crisis that involved Huberman going to Springfield a number of times while threatening to shut down the entire Chicago transit system, missing a deadline for $153 million and "reorganizing," he still manages to get 6% raises for do-nothing managers?

Since the police are already paying into pension and health accounts, we can take that entire 6% raise as salary up front! We wonder how well the CPS managers are going to do after Huberman finishes "reorganizing."

FOP, are you paying attention to this? Aldercreatures - 6%. Aldercreatures staff - 5%. CTA managers - 6%.

Or this little gem from the Sun Times:

• Teachers - Elementary 4.9%; High School 4.4%

Anything less than 4.4% then would be criminal in nature.