Tag: Government Employees

GOP endorses fed pay overhaul, smaller workforce

GOP endorses fed pay overhaul, smaller workforce

A draft version of the Republican Party’s policy platform calls for restructuring federal pay and benefits and shrinking the government workforce through attrition.

The document, posted online by Politico, praises federal workers for their dedication and “the difficulty of their thankless task of implementing poorly drafted or open-ended legislation,” but said the government is too bloated and that federal pay and benefits are out of whack with the private sector. It proposes cutting the federal workforce through attrition by at least 10 percent and adjusting federal compensation to reflect private sector pay and benefits. “The federal pay system should be sufficiently flexible to acknowledge and reward those who dare to innovate, reduce overhead, optimize processes, and expedite paperwork,” the document stated. Continue reading “GOP endorses fed pay overhaul, smaller workforce”

The Really Dangerous Candidates – For AFGE Members Only

IMPORTANT: You may view this email using your home email on your personal computer, smart phone, or other electronic device. BUT, this information should not be downloaded using government equipment, read during duty time, or sent to others using government equipment, because it involves taking an election related action and could be a violation of the Hatch Act.

AFGE PAC

Dear AFGE Local 704 Brothers and Sisters!

With just a few seats, the Senate could be in the control of politicians just as extreme as Paul Ryan.

We can stop them, though, if we use the power in numbers that corporate donors can’t give them.

George Allen, who referred to federal employees as “sanctimonious social engineers” in a debate over the Virginia Senate seat that he’s after, won’t make the news this week.

The headlines right now will focus on Paul Ryan, even though candidates for the US Senate like Allen or Josh Mandel or Todd Akin are just as extreme as Ryan, and they will be just as dangerous if they win.

Because right now, every tax on your pension, budget cut, or pay freeze extension that’s passed in the House is stopped by slim margins in the Senate. But after November’s elections we could see those proposals become law. Immediately.

That is, unless the candidates who will fight for the middle class have our support. We must fight to elect pro-labor candidates like Allen’s opponent in Virginia, Tim Kaine, who has worked hard for good jobs and fair pay, along with supporting tax fairness initiatives like the “Buffet Rule.”

Chip in a few dollars today and help us support candidates like Kaine, and ensure that extreme candidates don’t turn the Senate into a rubber stamp for Bush-era policies. Simply sign in with your username and password to the AFGE website to contribute to AFGE PAC quickly and easily online.

It’s no secret what the Republican Party would do if they take control of the Senate and hold on to the House. Our 2-year pay freeze wouldn’t end in December. It would go on for 10 years, taking $60 billion from worker pockets while the rich pay nothing. If they had their way, your pensions would be taxed for another $15 billion. And 10% of us would be fired.

At any given time there are dozens of bills in the GOP-majority House that target federal workers through pay freezes, unpaid furloughs, or pension taxes.

These aren’t just threats or proposals – that’s the GOP-led reality. All these measures have already passed the House. And with control of the Senate, they’d be federal law faster than you can say “Tea Party.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Candidates like Chris Murphy, Claire McCaskill, John Tester and Sherrod Brown have shown that they care about protecting jobs and the infrastructure that makes the United States great. And AFGE PAC is committed to putting strong candidates that are committed to tax fairness and a strong middle class into office.

Sign-in here to chip in a few dollars to the AFGE PAC. It will only take a minute, but doing so could save your pension, our livelihood, and the middle class.

You and I don’t have deep pockets or corporate accounts like most campaign donors – but we have a power in numbers that they don’t have. If we stick together we can make a real difference in this election.

In solidarity,

J. David Cox, Sr.
President, AFGE

For the latest updates on your pension, pay, budget cuts, and other news, text “NoCuts” on your personal phone to 225-568 or sign up online.

Please do not reply to this email. If you would like to unsubscribe from the AFGE list, you can visit your subscription management page.

Federal Employees Already Have Given Enough

August 1, 2012

The 2.6 million civilian employees of the federal government perform a multitude of jobs on behalf of the American people, including but not limited to, care for veterans; administration of Social Security, veterans benefits, Medicare, and Medicaid; collection, processing, and delivery of mail; border security; guarding inmates in federal prisons; ensuring the safety of the airline passengers; and enforcing law and regulations regarding public health, environmental protection, fair housing and housing for the poor, workplace safety, private pensions, wage and hour standards, and logistics, administration, repair, and maintenance of weapons and other support for our military.

Federal employees are substantially underpaid for performing this important work. Salaries of federal employees are on average 24 percent below those of comparable jobs in the private sector. Their health insurance is less generous than that provided by large firms in the private sector. Their pensions are equivalent—not more generous—than those provided to employees of large private firms. Continue reading “Federal Employees Already Have Given Enough”

Poll: Obama leads Romney among government workers

Poll: Obama leads Romney among government workers

 
Government employees prefer President Obama to Republican rival Mitt Romney in the November election, according to a new national poll.

Fifty-four percent of respondents who identified themselves as government employees favor giving Obama a second term, compared to 37 percent who say they plan to vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Rasmussen Reports conducted the national telephone survey in August of 7,000 likely U.S. voters, which included 815 government workers. Rasmussen did not differentiate between local, state and federal employees in the survey, asking respondents only if they worked for the government or a government agency.

Of the public sector respondents, 55 percent approve of the job Obama is doing as commander-in-chief, while 43 percent disapprove. Continue reading “Poll: Obama leads Romney among government workers”

A ‘Measly’ Pay Raise Is the Least of Feds’ Worries

A ‘Measly’ Pay Raise Is the Least of Feds’ Worries

Most of you have heard the news by now that President Obama will extend the current federal pay freeze until Congress passes a budget for the next fiscal year. If you’re not aware of this latest twist in the federal pay drama, then I envy you, because it means you are probably lying on a beach somewhere enjoying the last remnants of summer.

To briefly recap, the president announced Tuesday evening that he is using his authority under the law to give federal employees a 0.5 percent pay boost in 2013. But the across-the-board salary increase is contingent upon Congress accomplishing what it is apparently incapable of these days: agreeing on a long-term spending plan to fund the government. Lawmakers are on track to pass a six-month continuing resolution when they return from recess, which means that feds will have to wait until at least April for a pay increase. Of course, government workers might have to wait longer than that if lawmakers push through another stopgap spending measure after the first one expires. Continue reading “A ‘Measly’ Pay Raise Is the Least of Feds’ Worries”

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