Bush Cuts Pay Raises for Federal Workers, Citing National Emergency

TBo.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

Bush Cuts Pay Raises for Federal Workers, Citing National Emergency By Jennifer Loven Associated Press Writer

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - Citing a state of national emergency brought on by last year's terrorist attacks, President Bush on Friday slashed the pay raises most civilian federal workers were to receive starting in January. Under a law passed in 1990, federal employees covered by the government's general schedule pay system would receive a two-part pay increase with the new year, a 3.1 percent across-the-board increase plus a pay hike based on private-sector wage changes in the areas where they work.

This law outlining federal pay kicks in because Congress has not yet passed the appropriations legislation directing a specific increase, said Amy Call, a spokeswoman for the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

The White House couldn't say exactly how many federal employees the change would impact, but said it would be almost all.

Bush's pay decision is yet another blow to federal workers, many of whom are facing big changes in job descriptions under the Bush administration.

Earlier this month, the administration announced it wants to let private companies compete for up to half of the 1.8 million federal jobs. Also, in the new Homeland Security Department, Bush won the broad powers he sought to hire, fire and move workers in the 22 agencies that will be merged.

In a letter sent Friday to congressional leaders, Bush announced he was using his authority to change workers' pay structure in times of national emergency or "serious economic conditions" and limiting raises to the 3.1 percent across-the-board boost. Military personnel will receive a 4.1 percent increase.

That means that the additional so-called locality-based payments would remain at current levels because "our national situation precludes granting larger pay increases ... at this time," Bush said.

The White House quietly released the letter to journalists via e-mail late on Friday, the middle of a long holiday weekend when most Americans were apt to be paying little attention.

Officials of unions representing federal workers could not immediately be reached Friday night for comment.

Call said the locality-based payments have rarely gone into effect since their creation in 1990, either because former President Clinton limited them or Congress prescribed other salary increases.

"The whole locality-based adjustment ... for the most part doesn't go into effect," Call said.

The White House estimated that the overall average locality-based pay increase would amount to about 18.6 percent. Bush said granting the full raises would cost about $13.6 billion in 2003, or $11.2 billion more than he proposed for the year - a cost the nation can't bear as it continues to battle the war against terror.

"A national emergency has existed since September 11, 2001," Bush wrote. "Such cost increases would threaten our efforts against terrorism or force deep cuts in discretionary spending or federal employment to stay within budget. Neither outcome is acceptable."

The president noted that the raises still amount to more than the current inflation rate of 2.1 percent.

"I do not believe this decision will materially affect our ability to continue to attract and retain a quality federal workforce," he said.

[maui_hawaii]

offer them up to the international community

International community? Which international community are we talking about? How about having all those secretaries and janitors, cooks, maids, telephone operators, etc etc working for XYZ Private Staffing Inc, who has a government contract, instead of all of them on the fed payroll?

If they don't perform, no new contract for them.

Of course sensitive jobs such as in regards to national security could have various rules in place. No one is talking about anything international as far as I can tell.

[maui_hawaii]

You're assuming far too much about me, I think.

Historical example is absolutely not good enough. I don't believe that because its been broken it needs to stay broken. I am not burying my head in the sand hoping it all goes away. If you are not buring your head, then what is your idea? If its 'get rid of all government' then we part ways on that one.

How do we fix it? Thats the question. And 'get rid of it all' is not the answer. We will have a government no matter what. It depends on how its run thats important.

Historically democrats have run things for the past 50 years. Hopefully historically for the next 50 they will not, and we can fix the problems. Its all the more reason to consistently vote in every election for people with common sense conservative ideas.

Historically Republicans have not controlled the House, Senate, and White House. So much for that standard.

The question is how do we do things better and get better results in the government we have?

[maui_hawaii]

I agree totally that we should not have those kinds of things. Thanks for clarifying. Makes more sense now.

[maui_hawaii]

we are about to see who knows how many more bureaucracies created on behalf of national security.

The way I see that is we are supposedly taking some of the old ones, like 110 of them or so, and rolling them together. Its not a case of sheer addition, there is some subtraction too. Even then, when we are done, if we have 95 beauracracies instead of 110, thats still better. I think it will be better than that though. Much better.

However, I cannot say for sure anything because I don't know how the thing is going to pieced together yet.

[maui_hawaii]

Even with that though, that is the shift in who reports to whom, etc etc. I am more about fundamental changes in how the government is managed, aka, middle management. I want to see how THAT is tackled.

[jackbill]

Federal Govt salaries have skyrocketed. My guess is 10s of thousands make six figures.

Another article on this pay raise issue stated that the average salary of the 300,000 federal employees in the Washington DC area was over $68,000.

In order to give that additional 1% to these 300,000 DC area employees, it would have cost the government over $200 million. Per year, every year.

[jeremiah]

GW is not a conservative, he is a pragmatist. Whatever works, just like his predecessor.

[afz400]

Of course Bush doesn't have the nerve to cut back on the 28% pay increase the air traffic controllers got. Both he and Clinton found it useful to keep them from spilling the beans on how much in bed the FAA is with the airlines and how dangerous air travel really is.

[JusticeLives]

"..the "state of national emergency" proclamation issued in the 1960s has never been declared over."

Yes. I'm aware of this, but it was always alluded to which has me wondering why the term "national emergency" is being bandied about in the media? Are they subtlely introducing the idea into our collective minds so we won't be shocked when/if it happens?

I'm playing Devil's Advocate :)

[MCFujiTanker]

Sorry for the late reply...but Japan is 14 hours ahead. The 49er game is on at 0900JST/02Dec02. Overseas we get the General Schedule. Using the 2002 Almanac, the rest Of The US is 8% higher, DC (my old Duty Station) is 10% higher and NYC (where my brother works) is 14% higher. I was in Japan before when CLINTON was President. When we used to get a 3% raise...he never gave it across the board, he's fiddle with it for political reasons. The General Schedule would get 2%, the rest would go to "Locality Pay". That's why over the years DC has crept up from 4% to 10% in Locality Pay. DC is where the Unions are. My Post Allowance is less than DC Locality Pay, doesn't count toward High Three or TSP. I have to do my last three somewhere in the USA or take a hit on my pension (at about 50% it could be a lot). If the Senate had passed their bills on time, we'd have 4.1%. BUSH cut nothing, we got what was coming to us originally. Steny HOYER is full of baloney. I'm grateful to have a job, doing something I love.

[MCFujiTanker]

Where in KY?? I was a Jersey kid who attended U of L on the USMC nickel, later returned for Tank School at Fort Knox in '77. This Post is late...we're 14 hours ahead here in Japan. Here we get the General Schedule, it's 8% behind the Rest Of The US. See my last Post for details. The "Big Lie" here is that "BUSH" cut our raise. We got what was programmed. The House added 1%, but the Senate failed to pass the bill. At least we're getting it across the board!!

[PhiKapMom]

That is great to talk to someone who enjoys doing their job in Civil Service. I can remember when the pay was a mismash from the clinton years as well.

As for the AFGE -- what I think of them is not fit to print!

Note: The DemocRATs who held up the budget will never get the blame from the AFGE or any other union of Federal workers! It really disgusts me to have Federal employees that spend their whole time on union business getting paid their salary by the Federal Government. The only Civil Service that I encounted when I worked for the AF that were worthless were active members of AFGE. They spent more time getting out of work then it would have taken to get the job done. You could count on them for absolutely nothing!

[PhiKapMom]

That was very well stated. The only one I was completely sure of was Civil Service GS grades because there are too many other types of pay grades to get involved in explaining.

Postal Service employees also don't pay as much out of pocket for their health care either as regular Civil Service does.

[Alissa]

I'm going crazy! These people don't poduce anything. Why do they get these salaries.

This statement drives me crazy. Just what does the Dept of Defense PRODUCE? It's there to protect. . .not produce! Same can be said for other agencies such as Justice.

[SLB]

I am an analyst at Ft Knox. Work with future armor concepts.