Posted on 02/09/2013 3:09:51 PM PST by Libloather
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees says a one-percent increase is "absolutely unconscionable."
The head of the largest federal employee union said Saturday that President Obama's proposal to increase pay for federal employees by 1 percent was "absolutely unconscionable" and "simply not enough."
"It is not enough to allow federal employees to make up lost ground from two-plus years of frozen pay. It is not enough to allow workers, most of whom earn very modest salaries ranging from $24,000 to $70,000, to maintain living standards. And it is not enough to send a message with any kind of clarity that the administration values the federal workforce and doesn't believe it should continue to bear an enormously disproportionate share of deficit reduction," David Cox Sr., the president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said in a statement.
The White House told labor leaders of the proposed increase in the 2014 fiscal year budget in a phone call late Friday night. That raise would come on top of the half-point pay hike, scheduled to take effect in late March, which has been delayed as part of the "fiscal cliff" deal struck last month. Federal salaries have been frozen since 2011.
AFGE pledged in its statement to "work with friends in Congress who truly value the federal workforce," a signal that the union will likely lobby liberal members of Congress to oppose the president's budget.
Other union leaders have also voiced concern over the president's proposed pay raise, saying that the minimal increase over three years does little to compensate for the rising cost of living.
“While the president’s proposal for a 1 percent pay increase for federal workers in 2014 is better than a pay freeze, I don’t feel like jumping and shouting for joy,” Carl Goldman, executive director of the AFSCME Council 26 told Government Executive.
“There are a number of unanswered questions concerning the proposal: Will there also be locality pay increases that reflect the higher cost of living in many areas? Will there be a raise in federal employees’ contributions to the health insurance program, which could have the net effect of a pay cut? It is difficult to know exactly how to react until these and similar questions are answered," he said.
Still, other labor groups applauded the president's budget request.
“After all that federal workers have sacrificed the past three years, they have earned a raise,” William R. Dougan, national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, told CNN. “I repeat, they have earned a raise. We are pleased to see the president take a bold stance and advocate for this badly-needed pay adjustment."
Despite the president's request for a raise, the likelihood that federal workers see an actual increase is very much in doubt. Congressional Republicans are unlikely to support the president's budget, and voted earlier this year to freeze the salaries of lawmakers and federal employees.
In a statement in January, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) characterized Obama's push for a pay increase as "not necessary to retain talented employees and just wastes taxpayer money.”
“Federal employees have continued to receive promotions and within-grade pay increases over the past few years of the supposed ‘pay freeze,’ and voluntary separations from the federal government are near all-time lows,” he said.
Our Federal “servants” need to take a 10% hit to share the pain.
Juda Priest.
At least they have a job feeding at the public trough. They should be all getting a pay cut.
Please tell me what Federal Employees makes $24,000....or $11.00 an hour??
At least 10% if not more more would be good . . .
Budget? What budget.
Their pay has been frozen since 2011? Good for them!
I’m so glad we work for the government. Where would we be without the federal employees.
I say give them a 15% cut as a start. Every time they bitch knock a another percent off.
If they quit there are plenty of people to take their place.
It has been more than 10 percent over the last years. Keep dumping on the hard workers.
Tons! We have quite a few at the Naval Academy who are GS-4’s and make less than that.
If they quit there are plenty of people to take their place.
Most of the people you despise are veterans who work in government after they finish with the military. I am sure that they could just leave so the rest of you could take their place and be just as hated.
The men in black will probably get me for releasing this top secret info but I must. It will make anyone a rich and powerful person if they do it and I defy anyone to prove me wrong...
To become rich and powerful, one must simply go to DC and spout crazysness. That’s it. The more insane your statements, the more powerful and rich you become.
I submit as evidence this fool, Al Gore and Her Thighness.
Now no one has a reason to be poor. All the EBT types can buy all the bling they want legitimately. Because they now have the knowledge to get rich quick.
I think a 10% pay cut for some of these thugs is in order
Cry me a river.
Pay Raise for Federal Employees No Way No How! Dag nabit why not a 35% pay cut!. Hey I took a 45% pay cut, so as not to lay off any employees, cut my hours at the office too! It is my business, so I am trying to keep it alive too.
We need to eliminate about 15% of those bureaucratic positions, not replace them
Nuts!
“If they quit there are plenty of people to take their place.”
I am not of a favored race or color or religion. I will gladly take 10-15% less than them. Not having an axe to grind gives me a bit of a cost advantage. Not to mention that I don’t need to drive a Cadillac Esplanade to work.
I seem to remember reading somewhere in the past year that the average federal government salary is about double that of the private sector. Does anyone have a link to this info? Maybe under the guise of “equal pay for equal work” we could reduce federal salaries to be at the levels of their private sector counterparts. The federal employees unions always like to ignore the value of their health care and pension plans that are far better than 99% of the country, and create a crushing debt on our government budgets.
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