Union Calls for Equal Pay Increase for Civilian and Military Employees
Federal union members may have a new friend in the White House, but they should not confuse Barack Obama with Santa Claus.
The president demonstrated that with his proposed 2010 budget. It abandons the general practice of giving civilian and military personnel equal pay increases. Obama's spending plan would grant federal civilians a 2 percent raise while the troops would get 2.9 percent.
Re-establishing parity was one of the main issues discussed this morning at the National Treasury Employees Union legislative conference. Colleen M. Kelley, president of the union, said initial discussions on pay parity have begun with administration officials.
Speaking generally, Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told about 400 union leaders meeting at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington that "we must increase salaries" to draw young people to government service.
In a brief interview after his talk, Towns said parity between military and civilian pay should be restored, though he did know if legislation would be needed to accomplish that.
"It's the right thing to do," he added.
By
Sara Goo
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March 3, 2009; 4:44 PM ET
| Category:
Budget
,
Labor
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Public service
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Posted by: rlaitres | March 6, 2009 12:41 PM | Report abuse
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Absolutely not. Military personnel are on duty 24/7 while civilian employees are not. There is no comparison or relationship between the two. I agree with President Obama that they should be kept separate. To do otherwise is an attempt by unions to equate what their employees do with what is done by the military, and to piggy-back their benefits onto the back of the military. In this time of serious economic turmoil, everyone must sacrifice. That includes unions and union members.