Bismarck, North Dakota News

" Is this war ever going to end- the bottom line for ANY business is this-- are you listening, ND ??? Treat your employees with the respect and dignity they deserve and PAY them in accordance for a JOB WELL DONE! They will be your dedicated employee for many years to come! Yes, it is that easy...... "

" ...to be nasty towards you. I was just giving you the facts. Pay for performance doesn't exist in WSI except above a certain level, apparently. "

" I guess you didn't read that I said I could be wrong. No need to get so nasty. Bu you make it sound like one of the people who didn't get a raise and should therefore be thankful that you haven't been fired. Back at you! "

" WSI employees did not get pay for performance raises. All supervisors were allotted a certain number of percents for the people under them. They could only give someone more if they took from another. What do you know - it came out to 3%/person..... Does that sound like pay for performance to you???? I know he isn't a politician but he might as well be. "

" Oh, and by the way. Blunt is not a politician. He's not an elected official. I beleive he had to go through interviews along with other candidates. That being said, why are politicians all over WSI whe they should just let it be run like a business and get back to their own jobs and things they might possible have a clue about and stop spouting off about WSI. "

" I believe, and I could be wrong, but I do believe that the employees got their pay for performance increases and then the state/attorney general forced WSI to pay another 3% increase on top of that. A double dip so to speak for the employees. Mr. Blunt was not part of that group. If I'm wrong, someone correct me. So I don't think anyone is hurting for another raise right now. "

" Since "u wish u knew" feels he/she has all the answers...answer this..WSI advertises as a pay for performance employer. So yes. Mr. Blunt gets a pay increase based upon his performance. What about the other 200 and some people that work for WSI/Mr. Blunt? WSI was FORCED to add to their employees' raises so they could get the same as all other state employees. If you limit everyone to 3%...how is that pay for performance? Out of 200 employees, is there no one performing above average??? Mr. Blunt's comments always include how he appreciates the work of everyone and how well they are all doing....does he really??? Or is he another politician saying what you want to hear??? If you aren't going to pay everyone for performance....should you be advertising that way? Should the CEO get that? "

" You people are amazing! Reading the information you people post is the only enjoyment it seems that ND offers. So I feel compelled to contribute my thoughts. Oh, compelled, for those that are deficient in vocabulary, means I feel obliged to do something. So, I will address the posts: M&M--You appear to have some understanding of what goes on inside the walls at WSI--you must be a pot stirrer....or a wanna be. Get over it. How did the CEO's perform that were appointed by the Gov? With people like you voicing your opinion, no one will meet your needs. Give me a Break-- I agree with your statement wholeheartedly!!! And Joel H is a total moron. He has the same level of charisma as Don King. Maybe Joel will get hurt by taking a bite of the microphone at the station, thinking it is a donut, and need the attention of the WSI folks. Then he can truly determine if they are concerned about the workers or not. Until then, he should shut his mouth. Doesn't pass the smell test-- maybe somthing at WSI recently changed, and hopefully you were part of that change. You sound like a disgruntled terminated employee. Who is behind curtain #1? Many other accomplishments--the "many other accomplishments" may be having to deal with idiots like yourself. Could you imagine trying to run a business and having people like you on the outside? Whew.....I think that would be worth every penny the man makes. we be for facts--you can't apply....its filled already! You are obviously a little light in the head if you cant figure that out!! You most likely wouldnt qualify anyway. be realistic--have you ever traveled outside of the great state of ND? Probably not, so how can you even consider making a comment about cost of living. Just because this state population is less than most metropolis areas doesnt mean it is cheaper to live. I mean, really, what company wants to do business here? What driver wants to ship materials/goods into this place? A gas war consists of 2 gas stations lowering their prices.....now thats funny. wood-eye--just sit there and whittle a little......maybe you will see it more clearly. outside looking in--nuff said...and you will most likely always be..outside looking in. The main reason Mr. Blunt is here is obvious to me, as no one else in this State is qualified for the position, and those that may qualify are smart enough NOT to take the position due to the way you folks appear to be treating the CEO. And unless each of you are working for the agency, you are simply on the outside (for obviously good reasoning) looking in, and either bitter that you do not qualify to work there (or have been terminated in the past, obviously for good reasoning), or simply like to stir the pot. But please keep it up, cause its getting cold now, and I need some form of recreation for the winter months since you have no offerings outside of a casual game of curling. And as for the politics in this State.......most elected officials in ND would be fortunate to understand how to vote in other states, much less hold an office. "

" The WSI Board of Directors does not need to be reviewed, it should be DISSOLVED! The governor and the legislators need to put WSI back under the governor's authority. The governor does not select the board members, WSI chooses who its board members will be. The governor has no involvment until the end!!! When board positions are open, WSI advertises publically about the positions, and all interested applicants are required to send an application and resume to WSI. WSI then chooses who they want to interview, (the interviewing panel consists of current board members and WSI executive staff). After interviews and external inquiries regarding the applicants are completed, WSI picks certain names and submits them to the governor's office, and the governor gives it the stamp of "approval". "

" What's unconscionable is that Joel Heitkamp has been given a voice with which to speak. I don't think Mr. Heitkamp would like it too much if his salary was posted fro all of the world to see. By the way, Mr,. Blunt does not get paid extra for housing and entertainment. How do you kow that employee turnover is outrageous adn morale is terrible? Do you work there? If not, how can you comment? You are forgetting some minor things when talking about the $500,000 pay scale. Mr. Blunt never said he should be making that amount of money. And by the way, large cities have much more to offer than traffic and a higher crime rate. The cost of living is high in North Dakota and what a larger city offers is the following: world class zoos, aqauriums, museums, college sports, professional sports, shopping, restaurants, a choice of excellent schools, DIVERSITY, and a legislature that is not related to everyoen else in the state. "

" So, although employer premiums keep going up, Sandy Blundt and the Board say there is no money in the budget to cover the raises and back pay that they had to give to their employees after being caught not paying it when it was due to them. Now Mr. Blundt gets a 5.5% when it is known throughout WSI that he believes no one should get more than 3%? What happened to the employee survey that was sent out by the auditors this past sping? Something needs to change at WSI and soon. Employee turnover is outrageous and morale is terrible. Wonder Why????????? "

" With an increase in claims and also in employee turnover, I wonder what "many other accomplishments" Ripplinger is talking about to explain why they felt Blunt deserved the big salary hike. This board needs to be reviewed. "

" Okay, he makes $166,690. But he also gets paid extra for housing... and entertainment! Where can I apply for that job? "

" The comparison to the $500,000 holds no water at all. They have a higher wage scale and a higher cost of living in those areas. If this executive wants to make the $500,000, then he should move to the huge metropolitan areas, deal with the traffic and crime rate there, and pay the associated cost of living they deal with also. "

" "Give to the rich and take from the poor." It's running rampant in the U.S. No one is immune to the problem. Unconscionable! "

" Hmmm.... looks like somebody's trying to reduce the states budget surplus... Thank you. Workmans Comp. Board, I'll be expecting a premium increase after the 1st...BTW... CEO's in other states where $500K salaries are paid probably have staff's bigger than ND's total insured work force "

" What about the injured workers????????? "