Posted on 12/09/2009 11:43:10 AM PST by Justaham
Congressional appropriators agreed Tuesday night to give civilian federal employees a 2 percent pay increase -- which includes a locality pay increase President Obama didn't want.
Government workers will get a 1.5 percent nationwide increase in base pay and a 0.5 percent average increase in locality pay. The final agreement goes against the wishes of Obama, who called for a flat 2 percent jump and no locality increase.
Locality pay helps address the gaps between federal pay and private sector wages in high-cost areas of the country. The Federal Salary Council estimates the current private-public gap is about 26 percent, on average. Locality increases mean a federal worker in Cincinnati might get a smaller increase than a worker in Washington, D.C., because of local costs of living.
“I am pleased the final bill will provide for locality pay to reflect variable costs for federal employees working in various job markets,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement Tuesday night. “This provision is critical to bringing federal pay in line with the private sector and enabling the federal government to compete for high quality talent.” Hoyer's Congressional district is home to thousands of federal employees.
The pay increase will take effect once the House and Senate pass the FY'10 omnibus appropriations bill. Lawmakers hope to pass a host of key bills before year's end.
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...
Give you a Break! Get real!!! You make more than the equivelant job in the private sector, have greater job security and get better benefits. The typical worker in the equivelant job in the private sector is taking a pay cut while they work their asses of to pay your salary. Then you have the unmitigated gall to say "Give you a break"! I would rather give you a pink slip because the odds are that someone in the private sector would be happy to provide whatever service you are performing, do it better and at a lower cost.
Everyday I watch extremely qualified people who have worked their asses off get walked to the street. Meanwhile we add one federal employee after another. Someday you may come face to face with the real world Right now, your comment indicates you have no idea what is happening in the real world. As you ride that Gravy Train you are on, look out the window once in a while and you will see millions of people who would be happy to keep their jobs even with a cut in pay.
The 16.5% is in the locality part of the pay, not the base pay.
The way this thing is written it looks like we were looking at an overall 16.5% increase, which isn’t the case. It’s 2% base pay, plus an average increase of 16.5% in locality pay. Big difference.
I don’t believe it’s 2% on top of 2.4%. I think he’s just holding the whole increase (Cola plus locality) at 2%.
I’m at this job because my private sector job was outsourced. So was my husbands. We relocated to NE Ohio and even with my sterling resume, a crappy GS-5 at a VA CBOC was the only job I could find. I’m much further up the food chain now but not without working my tail off the the veteran population.
You need to take a great big dose of shut the hell up since you don’t know the circumstances that lead people to their Fed jobs, nor are you are in any position to determine the value of those jobs since YOU DON”T KNOW.
And P.S...I worked with some pretty useless private sector folks back in the day as well.
Nothing like a huge guilt trip for being a government employee. But I imagine I asked for it.
Merry Christmas!
I'm one also and Federal retirees are getting NO raise in 2010. And I'm not complaining. I feel bad for the private sector folks who are getting pay cuts or are being fired. Hopefully this mess can be turned around after 2012.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/27/causey-retirees-wont-get-colas-next-year//print/
I refuse to apologize for having a steady job with good benefits. Period.
Somebody in the family needs to have one, and since my husband is coming up on his 1st Anniversary of Unemployment it might as well be me.
Personally, Obama can keep his 2%. All it’s going to do it raise my tax bill, which is impressive as it is.
Glad you found a job - federal government job.
Glad you have been able to move up since getting it.
No need to be so angry about the fact that I said that we don’t have the money to pay these salary increases.
We don’t.
I was not saying you should lose your job....for crying out loud.
So why don’t you shut your own self up.
I believe the 16.5% increase mentioned in the WSJ article is what the “formula” would give federal employees. Evidently it has been routine for Presidents to iimit these increases to below what “the formula” would give.
But it’s still not clear whether or not there is a 2.4 COLA increase PLUS a 2% “raise”.
Either way - it’s a nice “gift” from taxpayers - even if we can’t afford it - but not as nice as the Congress critters are giving themselves.
I’ll take 2008 v 2009 as a for instance, with a hypothetical GS12 Step 7 in Seattle:
Increase in base pay alone: 2.89%
Increase in base pay plus locality: 4.02%
Increase in locality: 9.72%
The actual increase in pay for this case was only 4.02%, not anywhere near double digits. I haven’t analyzed the entire pay chart (I have a life) but that’s pretty standard across grades and steps.
Wow - 4.02% increase that year?
How nice.
Ok, thanks for the information.
VA Disability is tied to the SS COLA...no raise for disabled vets either.
I didn’t realize that, but I suppose that would make sense if retirees aren’t getting it.
Yup. That was before the fecal matter hit the fan economically.
Well - that’s a good amount compared to where I am in private sector....even then.
That’s what some don’t realize.
Many private businesses have been unable to give good raises in MANY years....
Am not whining.
Just saying....nothing like this kind of increase happens in the private sector - automatic increase.
We taxpayers are generous folks.....
That, coupled with increase in FEHB premium crosses out any “pay raise”..
More than 16 years ago when I started in the organization I am in, we have a full office staff of 7. We are now down to 3. The duties of those eliminated positions didn’t go away, just the positions. I don’t get extra money for doing extra job.
If you think that the civilian sector is alone in downsizing, or whatever you want to call it, think again.
I too won’t apologize for being a government employee. I take pride in doing what I do and working hard.
Understood.
Yep. Blue Cross is going up $10 a pay period. Granted it’s pre-tax dollars, but it’s still about a 10% increase.
Great, how many people actually lost their job? I'll wager "zippo".
With the advancements in data processing, telecommunication and software supported tasks, you example just illustrates the inefficiency in the government arena. Apparently your productivity was only barely more than doubled. Given todays technology, anything less than triple isn't very good. If you hadn't been sequestered in the government womb, perhaps you would be aware of that.
Sixteen years ago it took about 6 people to do the job I'm doing today. More actually since I handle about twice the volume they did back then.
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