Legislation introduced in the House and Senate last week would provide federal employees with a 4.1% pay raise next year.
Wages for federal employees aren’t keeping pace with the rising cost of living and aren’t competitive with what workers could earn outside the federal government for similarly skilled work. Currently there is a 27% pay gap between federal- and private-sector salaries, according to the Federal Salary Council.
The proposed bill would provide federal employees with a 3.1% across-the-board raise and a 1% raise that would vary by pay locality.
Ensuring that government agencies can pay a competitive salary is critical to recruiting and retaining employees.
“Fair pay isn’t just good for federal workers — it’s also good for the quality of government services and the people we all serve,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
The pay raise bill is called the Federal Adjustment of Incomes Rates Act, or FAIR Act for short.
The Senate bill, S. 3823, was introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) with 11 original cosponsors: Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
The House bill, H.R. 7480, was introduced by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) and currently has 21 bipartisan cosponsors.
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