“Government work was once synonymous with job security and stability. But these days furloughs, pay freezes and threats of further cuts are fomenting discontent. Some federal employees also say that public criticism of the federal government is also taking a toll.”
—Furloughs Only The Latest Blow To Federal Worker Morale
Federal pay vs. private pay: conservative will continue to argue feds are overpaid
Federal employees make average 26 percent less than private workers, Labor agency reports
…
HOWEVER, CONSERVATIVE GROUPS CONTINUE TO ARGUE that federal workers are overpaid. Here’s Matthew Yglesias’ full explaination of that rationalization, and my summary:
- The federal government needs to fill some jobs. But it offers salaries that are less than the salaries that a person doing a similar job could get in the private sector.
- Naturally, this means that the federal government ends up attracting less-experienced applicants.
- Hiring is then done from this less-experienced pool.
- And since the people who are hired are doing jobs they’d be [initially] underqualified for in the private sector, they are making more money than they would be in the private sector.
- CONCLUSION: federal workers are overpaid!
IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE REPUBLICAN TEAPARTY TO CONTINUE BATTERING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES though. It’s part of the “The Republican Strategy,” which is – in part:
The Republican strategy is to split the vast middle and working class – pitting unionized workers against non-unionized, public-sector workers against non-public, older workers within sight of Medicare and Social Security against younger workers who don’t believe these programs will be there for them, and the poor against the working middle class.
By splitting working America along these lines, Republicans hope to deflect attention from the big story. That’s the increasing share of total income and wealth going to the richest 1 percent while the jobs and wages of everyone else languish.
Occupy Wall Street now. Occupy the Voting Booth in 2012.
“White-collar federal employees are underpaid on average by about 35 percent compared with the private sector, a widening of the “pay gap,” which stood at about 26 percent last year, an advisory group said Friday.”
—Pay gap widens for federal workers, panel says - The Washington PostFederal Workers Overpaid, and CBO Agrees
Here’s some news that federal bureaucrats in Washington — and indeed around the country — don’t want to hear: According to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released this week, federal workers are paid higher than their private-sector counterparts.
The “alarming news” hit the national media yesterday, but there’s a funny thing about the report. None of it is really “news” — in fact, The Heritage Foundation long ago uncovered the truth about federal pay. The CBO’s report this week was spurred in part by two years of work on federal compensation conducted by Heritage and the American Enterprise Institute.
In July 2010, Heritage’s James Sherk explained that Americans are overtaxed to pay the civil service.
Who gets paid if there's a shutdown? Members of Congress still will
firstread.msnbc.msn.comFrom NBC’s Luke Russert
On the eve of a possible government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers and members of the military are at risk of not collecting a paycheck until after Congress reaches a deal to fund the government.
But as of now, the people directly involved in bringing about a shutdown — members of Congress — will still continue to receive their pay as scheduled even if scores of other workers are furloughed.
Stand-alone legislation has been proposed — but not passed in both the House and the Senate — that would prohibit members of Congress from receiving their pay in the event of a shutdown. Members of Congress make, on average, $174,000 per year.
On March 1, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would bar members of Congress from receiving a paycheck in the event of a federal funding gap. That bill was sent to the House but has not been scheduled for a floor vote. […]
Obama Orders Raise For Biden, Members Of Congress, Federal Workers
While many Americans are struggling to make ends meet, these assholes get raises??
They aren’t even doing their damn jobs!!!
WTF??
N~
President Barack Obama issued an executive order to end the pay freeze on federal employees, in effect giving some federal workers a raise. One federal worker now to receive a pay increase is Vice President Joe Biden.
According to disclosure forms, Biden made a cool $225,521 last year. After the pay increase, he’ll now make $231,900 per year.
Members of Congress, from the House and Senate, also will receive a little bump, as their annual salary will go from $174,000 to 174,900. Leadership in Congress, including the speaker of the House, will likewise get an increase.
Here’s the list of new wages, as attached to President Obama’s executive order:
“A new executive order has been issued providing for a new pay schedule beginning ‘on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning after March 27, 2013,’” reports FedSmith.com. “The pay raise will generally be about 1/2 of 1%.”
Jeryl Bier points to an example of the pay increase for average government executives:
“Not much of an increase, but an increase all the same,” Bier notes.
And the timing isn’t great either: Just as President Obama and Congress try to avert going over the “fiscal cliff,” he doles out pay increases to federal workers.
Federal Employees, Take Note: Congress Wants To Screw You--Again
On the House floor this week. Here’s is NARFE’s warning:
February 14, 2012
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the 4.6 million federal employees and annuitants represented by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), I urge you to oppose the highway funding bill, H.R. 7, and specifically to vote against the provisions in the bill derived from H.R. 3813, a bill that threatens federal employee retirement security. NARFE will score this vote.H.R. 3813 would substantially reduce the retirement income security provided by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and effectively provide a pay cut for all federal employees – those covered by both FERS and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), who have experienced a pay freeze for the last two years.
For new employees with less than five years of service, H.R. 3813 would create a new retirement system that would base retirement annuities on the average of the highest five years of consecutive service instead of the highest three years and would reduce the accrual rate by more than 36 percent, to 0.7 percent. The resulting 41 percent reduction in FERS annuities would produce a new median annuity of only $425 per month ($5,098 annually). That is barely over a third of what a minimum wage earner would make per year ($15,080), working 40 hours per week for $7.25 per hour.New employees also would face a 3.2 percent increase in retirement contributions, while other current employees (covered by both CSRS and FERS) would face a 1.5 percent increase in retirement contributions over three years.
Additionally, H.R. 3813 would eliminate the FERS annuity supplement for employees who have planned for retirement relying on the promise of receiving it. This provision would result in a substantial reduction in the annuities for early retirees – federal employees who have dedicated their entire careers to public service and are counting on receiving this supplement as part of their retirement compensation. It also threatens to create a significant, disruptive wave of federal employee retirements before the end of the year.
The cuts to retirement benefits proposed by H.R. 3813 stand in stark contrast to those contained in President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposal. First, the president’s proposal does not reduce basic federal retirement annuities at all, let alone by more than 41 percent. Second, the president’s proposal eliminates the FERS annuity supplement only for new hires, not for those who are on the verge of retirement. Third, the president proposes a smaller increase in retirement contributions for current employees and a significantly smaller increase for the new employees that the government needs to recruit.
Of course, all of these proposed cuts to federal retirement benefits and continued pay freezes would harm hardworking federal employees and their families, who are struggling in this economy just like their private-sector counterparts.
Apart from the personal toll these cuts take on dedicated civil servants, these actions will undermine the federal government’s ability to attract and retain the talent this nation needs to overcome the challenges we face. Shared sacrifice is fair, but singling out federal employees and retirees for disparate treatment threatens to do permanent harm to a federal civil service tasked with meeting the increasingly complex and critical functions of government. The American public deserves an engaged and efficient federal workforce, not one characterized by members of Congress as the source of our country’s problems.
For these reasons, I urge you to vote against H.R. 7, and particularly to vote against the provisions derived from H.R. 3813.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Beaudoin
President
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE)
State Workers Don’t Want To Play By Same Rules As Federal Employees
by Personal Liberty News Desk
Liberals across the United States are up in arms about several State proposals that would limit collective bargaining rights for public worker unions. Legislation has been filed, and protested, in Ohio, Tennessee, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas and Indiana.
However, FOX News reported that the public outcry against these bills might be much ado about nothing. The Republican model being considered by many State legislatures is quite similar to the set of limitations placed on Federal employees. The Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978, which was passed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, limited the collective bargaining rights of Federal workers.
No President or legislature has since overturned the CSRA because, according to a USA Today report, Federal employees are doing just fine. The news provider estimated that Federal workers out-earn their private-sector counterparts in the same jobs by an average of $7,000 per year. In regards to benefits, Federal employees, on average, earned approximately $30,000 more than their private-sector peers.
In addition, some GOP lawmakers are calling for the end of “closed shops,” which require State employees to join a union. According to FOX News, the elimination of this system has alarmed many liberal politicians because a percentage of union dues, which are mandatory contributions from employees, fund Democratic election campaigns.
For example, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the 14 Democratic State Senators who have fled Wisconsin to protest Governor Scott Walker’s budget have benefited from union dues in the past. Approximately 20 percent of all campaign funds raised by these lawmakers during the last two election cycles came from public employees, according to the news source.
“Fun Fact of The Day: Just 737 Out of 1.2 Million Federal Workers Denied Pay Raise For Poor Performance…”
—http://weaselzippers.us/2011/03/23/fun-fact-of-the-day-just-737-out-of-1-2-million-federal-workers-denied-pay-raise-for-poor-performance/
“A shutdown would also affect pay for members of the military, said senior government officials familiar with the planning. If the current funding expires on Friday, in the middle of the military’s two-week pay period, the Defense Department would distribute paychecks for the first week, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. In an effort to avoid such disruption, House Republicans introduced legislation that would pay troops if a deal isn’t reached. Congressional aides couldn’t say whether such a bill would pass either chamber before Friday. ”
—Government Shutdown Detail begin Trickling Out to Workers
If you have any friends or family employed by the federal government who also support the GOP…
underthemountainbunker.com…be sure to show them this link / story from the Washington Post. Maybe ask them why they hate themselves, or how they could support cutting their own throats by voting for a political party which so clearly despises them as a group?
REPUBLICANS KEEP FOCUS ON FEDERAL WORKERS (note: headline changed by me)
A bill under consideration Tuesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee would force workers to pay 1.5 percent more toward their pensions over three years beginning in 2013. The bill is expected to pass the committee on a party-line vote, then move to the full House for consideration.
But the bill under consideration today is just one of several GOP proposals to curtail federal pay and benefits that is moving through the legislative process. Let’s briefly recap the bills under consideration:
1.) The Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2012: The bill would calculate federal retirement based on a federal employee’s highest five years of earnings instead of the current rate, which calculates the highest three years. The change would apply only to workers hired after this year and who do not have at least five years of previous federal service. Notably, lawmakers also would be included. The bill also would force pension contributions to rise 1.5 percent over three years and make other changes that would force many employees to pay more for a smaller retirement program.
- Sponsor: Rep. Dennis A. Ross (R-Fla.). Status: In committee, most likely headed for a full House vote.
- (RELATED: In pension calculations, proposed ‘high five’ is really a slap in the face)
2.) Honest Budget Act: The bill would make it more difficult for Congress to pass appropriations bills without first approving a budget. It also tightens rules on paying for natural disasters that increase overall spending. Tucked within the bill, however, are provisions that would freeze all within-grade step increases for federal employees. Virtually every federal employee eligible for the pay bump earns it, according to the Office of Personnel Management, and payouts average about $2,000 as a worker graduates through the 10 steps of a grade in the 15-grade General Schedule pay system.
- Sponsor: Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.). Status: Proposed last week.
3.) Extending the Federal Pay Freeze One More Year: The bill would extend a pay freeze for federal employees, congressional staffs and lawmakers for one more year, beginning in 2013.
- Sponsor: Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.). Status: Passed the House last week.
4.) Down Payment to Protect National Security Act of 2012 : The bill would extend the federal employee pay freeze through June 2014 and cut the federal workforce by 5 percent through attrition. Supporters say those cuts would shore up sequestration cuts in defense spending set to take effect next year.
- Sponsors: Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Status: Unveiled last week
Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), left, and John McCain (R-Ariz.), right, are also pushing federal pay cuts. (Pete Marovich – GETTY IMAGES)
…
As National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley said, reducing wages and benefits to federal workers (and to unionized workers and to middle-class workers), is the Republican Party’s plan for a “race to the bottom for the American worker.” Who benefits? Corporations and the one percent — pay less for the same work and pocket more money at the end of the day.
So, take that, you Rethuglican fucksticks.
nteu.org“…recognize and appreciate that this significant group of middle class working Americans already has contributed $103 billion—more than any other group in the nation—toward deficit reduction and economic stability.” — NTEU president speaking about federal workers
