Bill introduced to give federal workers a pay raise

  U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today introduced legislation in the Senate with U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), to provide a pay increase for federal employees who lost over a billion dollars in salary and benefits due to sequestration and a three-year pay freeze from January 2011 to December 2013.  The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act would provide a 3.3 percent pay raise to federal workers in calendar year 2015. 

“Hardworking federal employees did not cause our fiscal crises nor did they contribute to the legislative gridlock, but time and again they have been asked to pay the heaviest price toward a resolution. In Maryland and across the nation, these public servants, mostly middle class and struggling to get by like so many other Americans, deserve recognition and thanks for their hard work and dedication,” said Senator Cardin.

“We need to strengthen and encourage our public workforce. The knowledge, expertise, skill, and commitment of our public sector workforce are some of America’s greatest assets.  No other nation can match our public workforce’s professionalism and level of accomplishment.” “Hawai‘i’s federal workers are dedicated public servants.  They deliver our mail, care for our veterans, protect our environment, and help keep us safe,” Senator Schatz said. “Our federal employees bore the brunt of the sequester, enduring furloughs and a three-year pay freeze.  Our bill would give these working families a raise they deserve.”

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, the federal civilian government was the only industry that experienced a decrease in earnings ($6.7 billion) in 2013.  The gap between public and private sector compensation is currently 35 percent.  More than a quarter of full-time permanent federal employees in Hawai‘i (and one-third nationally) are eligible to retire, and attracting and retaining top talent through competitive pay is key to maintaining an efficient and effective government.  The White House has proposed a one percent pay increase for next year. 

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