2011 Federal Pay Raise:
Obama Proposes 1.4% Increase; Employee Groups Comment
February 2, 2010
President Obama proposed yesterday a 1.4 percent 2011 federal pay raise
for civilian workers in the General Schedule.
The proposed federal pay raise comes as part of the fiscal 2011 budget the
White House released. The pay increase provides pay parity with uniformed military
service members who would also receive a 1.4 percent pay raise under the
proposal.
"We are going to work very hard with Congress to adjust the 1.4% pay raise
upward," said American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National
President John Gage. "While we are pleased that the administration recognizes
the importance of pay parity between civilian employees and the military, a 1.4%
pay raise will do nothing to close the remaining pay gap between federal and
non-federal salaries," Gage continued.
While National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley applauded the White House's inclusion of pay parity, she also noted
that the proposed 2011 federal employee pay raise is "very low."
The figure represents the growth in private sector wages and salaries, as
measured by the Employment Cost Index, which is the reference point for the
Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA).
That bipartisan 1990 law, which became effective in 1994, was designed to
close, in stages, the gap between public and private sector pay. It has not,
however, been implemented as intended, according to NTEU, and the gap, as measured by the Federal
Salary Council, now stands at 26 percent in favor of the private sector.
NTEU's Kelley said continuing progress has to be made in closing that gap if
federal agencies are to compete effectively for the quality personnel they need.
According to GovExec.com, "President Obama has proposed ending the locality
pay surveys that help determine the gap between public and private sector pay
and replacing them with a new method for measuring compensation."
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