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Federal Daily News

Union urges congressional conferees to keep hands off pay and benefits

[Note: This article was changed to clarify details of H.R. 3630.]

One federal employee union has gone on the offensive even before House and Senate conferees resume work on contentious legislation that threatens to affect federal pay and benefits.

Before adjourning in December, the House and Senate appointed conferees to hammer out a compromise on the bill, H.R. 3630. The original bill crafted by House Republicans includes a one-year extension of the current pay freeze, measures that increase federal employees’ share of pension contributions, and the elimination, as of January 2013, of the Social Security supplement, except for feds with mandatory retirement ages.

While Congress failed to come to agreement on that bill as 2011 ended, it nonetheless did pass—and the president signed—a short-term extension of several measures included in that bill, most significantly the payroll tax-cut holiday. While federal pay and benefits measures were not included in that short-term legislation, proposed cuts to benefits and a possible freeze extension are expected to reemerge as major issues as lawmakers work on an H.R. 3630 compromise.

This week National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley sent letters to the seven Senate and 13 House conferees assigned to H.R. 3630 urging them to oppose using cuts to federal employee pay and benefits as a means of offsetting a longer-term extension of the payroll tax cut and other measures in the bill. The union supports a bipartisan version of the bill crafted in the Senate in December which did not include those cuts.

“Many federal employees are not even eligible to get the payroll tax reduction because they are not covered by Social Security,” Kelley wrote, maintaining that “federal employees have contributed $60 billion to deficit reduction through the present two-year pay freeze.”

According to Kelley, the House version of the proposed legislation—if it prevailed—would result in federal employees contributing another $65 billion through cuts to pay and benefits.

“Federal employees are working with severely limited resources,” Kelley wrote. “To ask them to bear such a disproportionate additional burden is unfair and unacceptable.”


 

Reader comments

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 Laurie South Carolina

I am a civil service employee who use to like working for the Government. Now, I feel like a puppet on a string and Congress pulls all the strings. I wish the AMERICAN PEOPLE could vote on whether Congress gets a cost of living increase or promotion. I bet none of these cut backs hurt Congress at all.

Mon, Jan 9, 2012

I have worked for the government for nearly 28 years and will turn 60 in July. My prediction is that coupled with tiny $25,000.00 buyout offers these measures will result in the resulting workforce reduction coming largely from among those who already have job offers elsewhere or were just waiting for a buyout to retire. Those of us who need the pay increases will opt to stay longer to fund our retirement.

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 Dora Brooklyn

Rena, I agree with you 100% we are being affected harder then someone who is collecting benefits without working for it. They stand on lines early in the morning while we struggle to get to and from work everyday. They get free transportation as well when our duty stations are afar. It is not fair that we have to suffer and it is not over. Middle Class people do not have anywhere to go other then to stay still! We are not moving anywhere we are stuck with no where to turn! While Lower Class people and Higher Class people get all that they are qualified for and we are hit the hardest. We need assistance too, please do not phase us out of the plan.

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 Pushing it

Well, well a qov. emp. union that is concerned with real issues, instead of telling congress we need to reimbuse those that have to take a bus or want paid to drive to work! There goes my $36.00 monthly union dues,all these years, for what?? Go NFTU, let's all donate to their PAC!

Fri, Jan 6, 2012 Alphaopera Pittsburgh, Pa.

I wish Congress would emulate NASCAR drivers and wear their sponsor's logos on their clothing. You notice nothing to rein in the excesses of Wall Street, the investment/banking industry..or other major contributors to their campaigns. Those people were enjoying their million dollar bonuses for a job well done. The pay freeze will affect an employee well into retirement..i.e. what he/she should have received without the freeze versus what they will receive because of the freeze.

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