Tag: Government Employees

SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #2

SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #2

By Jeff Bratko, Steward AFGE Local 704

Sequestration Fact Sheet #1 explained that sequestration will result in automatic, spending cuts in most discretionary spending by Federal Agencies.  Sequestration is required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). Fact Sheet #1 discussed the potential impact of sequestration and noted that it does not appear that plans for dealing with sequestration are being shared with employees.  We also warned that waiting to make your own plans until specific information is available may be a costly mistake.

Fact Sheet #2 provides some additional information about sequestration and steps you can take to avoid falling off your personal fiscal cliff.

Is September 6, 2012 an important date? Continue reading “SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #2”

SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #1

SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #1

By Jeff Bratko, Steward AFGE Local 704

You’ve probably heard the word “sequestration” used by the news media during the last few months.  Some people refer to it as being part of the “fiscal cliff” that may occur in January 2013.  There is a lot we do not know about how sequestration will be implemented.  Unfortunately, management is handling sequestration the way it handled the furlough threat a couple of years ago. It does not appear that specific plans for dealing with the sequestration are being shared with employees.  That means that you are on your own in terms of planning for the sequestration.  Waiting to make plans for the sequestration until management provides us with some facts may be a costly mistake.  However, in order to make plans you need some basic facts and that is what this fact sheet provides.

What is sequestration? Continue reading “SEQUESTRATION FACT SHEET #1”

An Upside to the Pay Freeze

An Upside to the Pay Freeze

It’s safe to say the two-year federal pay freeze has not been popular with government workers. Even those who support the freeze acknowledge its limitations: the savings it has generated (estimates are between $60 billion and $70 billion) is a drop in the deficit-reduction bucket, and it’s not exactly a morale booster. The GOP policy platform, which calls for overhauling the federal pay system to bring it in line with the private sector’s, and Obama’s decision to postpone a 0.5 percent pay boost 2013 until Congress passes a budget, has put the issue in the crosshairs once again.

But there could be an upside to the pay freeze for feds. It puts a slight chink in the argument that federal employees are way overpaid compared to private sector workers — a debate that rages on both sides and probably will never be settled definitively. The libertarian Cato Institute, the Washington think tank that has argued federal employees are too generously compensated compared to their private sector counterparts, acknowledged in a recent blog post that the “federal pay advantage” has narrowed, partly as a result of the two-year pay freeze. Continue reading “An Upside to the Pay Freeze”

New AFGE president eyes November elections

The Federal Diary
The Federal Diary
Joe Davidson

New AFGE president eyes November elections

By , Published: August 28

J. David Cox just won a presidential race this month, but it’s the one in November that will be much more consequential for his members.

Cox was elected two weeks ago as president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal union. He’s had no time to savor that victory, however, because he is gearing up to help President Obama and other labor-friendly candidates win their campaigns.


(Courtesy of American Federation of Government Employees) – J. David Cox was elected two weeks ago as president of the American Federation of Government Employees. Continue reading “New AFGE president eyes November elections”

Survey shows public wants federal services

Survey shows public wants federal services

By , Published: August 20

A majority of Americans would rather see higher taxes on the wealthy before cuts are made to public services such as food safety and border security, according to a survey released Monday by a major federal employee union.

“Some political rhetoric would have you believe that Americans today have an ‘austerity at any cost’ view of the federal budget,” Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement. “The fact is that most Americans, when asked about specific services, believe the government should invest more in providing such services.”

Two-thirds of the respondents in the survey by the polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs said they agreed with the statement, “Congress should raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans before cutting funding for public services such as food and drug safety and border security.” Continue reading “Survey shows public wants federal services”

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