Federal employees are prohibited from striking.
Over the past 10 years they have 3 years with a ZERO percent raise. Hiring has been reduced, with further reductions through attrition. Pensions were slashed during the Clinton administration. Currently you can expect 1% of your top 3 year average, for every year you worked. No one since 1984 will see the 80% retirement.
Salary wise, at least for engineers the Govt Pay is about 30% lower than industry. My highest annual raise has been 1.9% and that was last year. My raises have been through merit promotions (ie Supervisor of a team of engineers).
I am assigned to NASA, perhaps you have heard of the Mars Mission? We now are sitting at home, unable to burn vacation or sick leave we have accrued and will lose what we had saved on Friday. We will likely not be paid backpay for this unplanned furlough. And will not get paychecks for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile we will still be expected to make mortgage payments and food bills.
We support Pres Trump and the wall. However I dont think its fair that I pay for it by involuntarily having my livelihood stopped because Congress and the assorted RINOs cannot do their Constitional duty. We are Federal workers and an overwhelming percentage of us are Military retirees.
A couple of points. You WILL be paid in full for the furloughed days off. As to the leave you will lose, youll be able to request that it be restored and it will be restored.
I dont think its fair that I pay for alot of stuff,endlessly!
“Salary wise, at least for engineers the Govt Pay is about 30% lower than industry. My highest annual raise has been 1.9% and that was last year. My raises have been through merit promotions (ie Supervisor of a team of engineers).”
So if that is all true, why don’t you change jobs? And what a concept, getting paid more because you represent more value to your employer! COLAs are inflationary! The problem we have with government employees is that through “unlawful unionism” they have been paid more than what many of them are worth for decades. The Government Employee/ Democrat “connection” wherein you vote for the RATs and they, in turn, reward you with pay raises that are not fiscally warranted.
As for your inability to meet your personal obligations, have you ever heard of a savings account? My guess is that your “financial problems” will probably be of short duration. I’ve been out of work in my life, and I’ve never bitched about my lot in life when it happened.
So how many billions of dollars are being allocated to the Mission to Mars which sorry, is a huge waste of money that will accomplish nothing, verses a wall that in the end will save us billions of dollars and maybe our democracy? I’m not unsympathetic to your current situation, but welcome to what we working schmucks have had to go through with the 8 years of Obama.
Shouldn’t you be on DU complaining like this?
The Shutdown is the fault of ten Democrat Senators who refuse to break the Filibuster and pass the Bill the House sent to them two weeks ago.
POTUS Trump has no Bill to sign, it is collecting dust in the Senate Chamber.