On Thursday, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, a bill that would provide federal employees with a 3.2 percent pay increase in calendar year 2022.
A companion bill in the senate will be introduced by Senator Schatz (D-HI) soon. Connolly and Schatz previously introduced similar legislation in the 115th and 116th Congresses.
If passed, the law would mandate an across-the-board increase of 2.2% and a 1% increase in locality pay.
“The FAIR Act’s wage adjustment restores years of lost wage increases for federal employees,” according to a statement on Connolly’s website.
“Federal employees have scapegoated for four long years,” Connolly said. “ They’ve worked tirelessly throughout a global pandemic, risking their lives in service to the American people. And how has the Trump Administration thanked them? With cruel personal attacks, unsafe work environments, pay freezes, government shutdowns, sequestration cuts, furloughs, and a mindless across-the-board hiring freeze. Still, our federal workforce serves with dedication and distinction every day. They deserve better. The FAIR Act is critical step towards recognizing their contributions and providing fair and just compensation.”
Several groups representing federal employees endorse the bill.
“An average 3.2% pay adjustment is essential in helping these middle-class workers keep pace with inflation and ever-increasing consumer costs,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon in a statement. “Federal employees deserve wages that pay the bills, send their kids to college, save for the future and help ensure they resist the temptation to leave for higher paychecks in the private sector.”
“This legislation will not only help restore living standards of federal employees to pre-recession levels, but it will also assist in the recruitment and retention of a high-quality federal workforce,” said American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley. “It will also show federal workers how much they are valued and respected for the work they do, the hardships they have endured, and the steadfast loyalty they have demonstrated to the American people and the rule of law during these past four years.”
The FAIR Act is cosponsored in the House by Reps. Raskin, Sarbanes, Trone, Brown, Norton, Wexton, Beyer, Speier, Khanna, Lynch and C. Maloney.
Other groups supporting the legislation include: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), Antilles Consolidated Education Association (ACEA), National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO), Patent Office Professional Association (POPA), National Education Association (NEA), Federal Education Association (FEA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Text of the FAIR Act is available here.