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Federal Daily News

Senator offers measure to extend pay freeze for third year

The Senate is slated to vote on March 13 on a surface transportation bill amendment that would extend the federal employee pay freeze through the end of 2013. The amendment to S. 1813, introduced by Sen Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), also would extend the pay freeze for members of Congress and legislative employees.

The savings would be used to offset other measures contained in the bill.

Federal employee unions were quick to urge lawmakers to reject the measure. The American Federal of Government Employees sent a letter to senators providing examples of dollar amounts that already have been lost by those in certain federal job categories under the two-year freeze—as well as projections of further amounts that will be sacrificed under a pay-freeze extension.

“Already, a GS-5 meat and poultry inspector earning $31,315 has given up $1,265 in lost salary increases from the two-year freeze,” the letter stated. “If the freeze continues for a third year, the inspector will have lost $3,842.”

The union, which said 60 percent of federal workers are paid “the equivalent of a GS-9 or below,” also included in the letter a table detailing current and projected losses from the pay freeze for GS-5, GS-7 and GS-9 employees.

The National Treasury Employees Union issued a statement from NTEU President Colleen Kelley condemning the amendment.

“With the federal workforce already contributing $75 billion to our nation’s fiscal challenges through a pay freeze and increased retirement contributions, it is outrageous to once again single out this group of hardworking middle class Americans while refusing to ask for any shared sacrifice from millionaires and billionaires,” Kelley stated. “Enough is enough. Federal employees’ paychecks and retirement programs are not piggy banks to be raided to pay for tax breaks attached to a highway bill.”


 

Reader comments

Thu, Mar 15, 2012 RicknATL

When are the rich going to share the pain of this recession? They are still enjoying record low tax breaks, not to mention the capital gains tax loophole which in effects, lets them pay only 15% federal taxes.

Wed, Mar 14, 2012

If all Federal employees salaries and benefits were eliminated it would save only 280 billion dollars for that year or 2.8 trillion dollars over ten years. Congress and the Whitehouse need to get really serious about saving money or increasing revenues to reduce the deficit instead of shopping for votes. Cut back foreign subsidies, stop giving tax breaks to large corporations, reduce widespread outsourcing, start collecting royalties supposed to be collected, raise tariffs on imports, stop giving favored nations status, increase capital gains tax back to 28 percent so the wealthy will stop abusing the stock and banking systems, start hiring more federal employees to do true audits of Medicare, Social Security, Veterans, Tri-Care and other benefits so the large scale frauds will stop. We need to stop making Federal employees pay our political leaders ambitions and follies and let them do what they are supposed to be doing and that is to enforce, regulate and control government spending at every agency. Nothing worse than to have Congress dictate how we do our jobs only to be reprimanded for doing what they ask because of politics.

Wed, Mar 14, 2012

I will have 30 years Fed Service in July and our agency is losing employees right and left BUT only a few are replaced. My agency serves retired workers and when you answer phone calls from our "clients" and explain why their taxes are increasing and their Medicare Premiums have jumped so much because they had to sell a home they could no longer afford to keep. We have been subject to a lot of verbal abuse and cursed at for what our illustrious legislators have enacted. Yet --- cut our pay and the legislators give themselves a raise. A lot of good knowledgable workers are having to leave because of the stress we are under (several have even had strokes) ... How dare they cut us again!

Wed, Mar 14, 2012 Will work for Pay Virginia

Ok, so the administration aggressively went after tax evaders in 2009, froze congressional pay for one year in 2010, froze federal pay for two 2010-2012, ended the war....skirmish....sit it in Iraq last year. I hear we haven't been making good on our payments to Pakistan friends. Spoken to a retiree social security or G. I. Bill recipient lately.....their payments are slow to arrive to put it nicely. Something bigger is wrong. Very wrong. These gimmicks to get the economy on track are just that. Smoke screens, bells and whistles that sound good but haven't improved the country's position. And the folks hanging out in Washington who really work for big business are at the heart of it. It's not a party division. Crooks sit on both sides of the aisle.

Tue, Mar 13, 2012 The Rock Man in Virginia

Since we are Federal employees, our salaries are paid from tax revenues that are collected from citizens. Since our salaraies are already tax revenues, isn't it illegal to tax that which is already tax? Feds should not have to pay Federal income tax. It's already tax revenue.

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