Tag: Federal Salary Council

Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds

Federal Eye

Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds

A federal advisory group reported Tuesday that federal workers have fallen slightly further behind the private sector in pay, a trend that union leaders said they hope will be stopped by getting the government back in the habit of paying annual raises.

The Federal Salary Council, a group of union officials and pay policy experts, said that the average “pay gap” in favor of the private sector now stands at 35.4 percent, up from 34.6 percent last year and 26.3 percent in 2011.

(Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

(Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

The pay gap figure, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, involves employees paid under the largest of the government’s many pay systems, the General Schedule for white-collar employees below the executive level. Pay rates under the GS system are locality-based, varying among 31 metropolitan areas, the entirety of both Alaska and Hawaii, and a catchall “rest of the U.S.” locality for everywhere else apart from foreign countries. Continue reading “Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds”

Public-Private Sector Pay Gap Continues to Grow, But Not As Rapidly

Public-Private Sector Pay Gap Continues to Grow, But Not As Rapidly

 
inShare3Dstock/Shutterstock.com

The gap between federal and private-sector pay continued to widen in 2013, according to a new study. Typical federal employees now earn  35.4 percent less than their private sector peers, the Federal Salary Council reported.

The council, made up of union representatives and pay policy experts, used data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics to make its calculations. In 2012, the council found the gap expanded by more than 8 percentage points. This year, the pay gap grew by just 0.8 percentage points.

The pay disparities vary by locality. In the Washington, D.C., area, for example, private-sector workers make 49 percent more than their federal counterparts. Continue reading “Public-Private Sector Pay Gap Continues to Grow, But Not As Rapidly”

AFGE official criticizes FEHBP proposals in Obama budget

AFGE official criticizes FEHBP proposals in Obama budget

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – In testimony delivered today before a House subcommittee, American Federation of Government Employees Public Policy Director Jacqueline Simon criticized proposals that the Obama administration has presented for altering the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

DSC_0211

AFGE Public Policy Director Jacqueline Simon testifies before the House 
Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. 
Postal Service, and the Census regarding proposed changes to FEHBP.

Simon testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and the Census. The hearing focused on the FEHBP and whether it is a good value for federal employees. A copy of the testimony is available here: http://bit.ly/14egKZe. Continue reading “AFGE official criticizes FEHBP proposals in Obama budget”

Will There Be a Pay Raise This Year?

Federal Salary Council

First of all, Federal employees do not get “cost-of-living” adjustments to their pay.  Rather, the Federal Salary Council (“FSC“), an advisory body of the Executive Branch of the United States Government, established under the provisions of the Section 5304(e)(1) of Title 5 of the United States Code, provides recommendations on the locality pay program created by the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990.

The locality pay program provides for localized pay differentials (also known as comparability payments) for Federal employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) who work in the 48 CONtinental United States (CONUS).

The President of the United States appoints the members of the FSC, which include three experts in labor relations and pay policy and six representatives of Federal labor unions and other employee organizations representing large numbers of GS employees.
Currently, AFGE National President J. David Cox and Public Policy Director Jacqueline Simon serve on the FSC, having been appointed by President Barack Obama on November 9, 2010.

The FSC submits recommendations on the locality pay program to the President’s Pay Agent. The FSC’s recommendations cover the establishment or modification of pay localities, the coverage of salary surveys (conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics) used to set locality pay, the process for making pay comparisons, and the level of comparability payments that should be made.
The FSC’s recommendations are advisory only and are not binding on the President.
However, it is the President’s Pay Agent makes the final determination as to the establishment or disestablishment of locality pay areas and also makes the final recommendation to the President regarding the amount of the annual Federal pay increase (if any).

History of the FY 2013 Pay Raise

On January 6, 2012, President Obama proposed a 0.5 percent pay raise for Federal employees, that would be reflected in its FY 2013 budget proposal to Congress.  Here is what a O.5% pay raise looks like for various example salaries, versus the previous pay raise which Federal employees received amounting to 2.01% for FY 2010 (our last pay raise of record).    Continue reading “Will There Be a Pay Raise This Year?”

AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014

Press Releases | AFGE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 19, 2012

Contact:Enid Doggett
(202) 639-6419
doggee@afge.org

AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014

(WASHINGTON) The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today issued the following statement on the Oct. 19, 2012 Federal Salary Council meeting addressing policies that will take effect in January 2014.

The Council voted to recommend the addition of twelve new localities for which the pay gap, as measured by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, has been at least an average of 10% higher than the gap in the Rest of U.S. locality over the past four years. The Council also reiterated its support for changing the criteria for drawing pay locality boundaries in ways that emphasize commuting rates. All Council members agree that commuting rates are what define a local labor market, and that these data are the best way to understand regional pay. The Council also unanimously voted to ask BLS to restore the portion of the National Compensation Survey that was devoted exclusively to matching federal jobs with those in the private sector and state and local government. Continue reading “AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014”

%d bloggers like this: