The costs for groceries, health insurance, and other necessities have all gone up. That’s why the workers who keep America running need a real pay raise, not the paltry 1.3% increase proposed by the administration for 2016.
“It’s hard for federal employees to get excited about the prospect of a 1.3% pay raise when their pay rose only 2% over the past five years, when they’re paying more for health insurance, more into a retirement system that’s fully funded, and like so many other working class Americans have seen their standard of living deteriorate as wages fail to keep pace with rising costs for groceries, medicine and other necessities,” said AFGE President J. David Cox Sr.
“Federal employees and all working people deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and that includes wages and salaries that at least keep pace with rising living costs,” he added. “A 1.3% pay raise simply doesn’t cut it, and we will continue to work with our allies in Congress on a more meaningful wage increase going forward.”