AFGE Seeks 3.5% Pay Raise for Feds in 2021
January 27, 2020
Categories:
Pay, The Insider
AFGE is seeking a 3.5% pay raise for federal employees in 2021.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show federal salaries lag behind those paid by employers in the private, state, and local government sectors by a nationwide average of more than 30%. By law, that gap was supposed to have been closed 18 years ago. In addition, inequality between hourly and salaried federal workers is another problem, as in many cases, GS and wage grade employees who work in the same locations are not considered to be in the same location for pay-setting purposes.
The 35-day government shutdown last year that forced feds to go to food pantries to feed themselves and their families showed how severe the situation is.
That’s why AFGE is urging Congress to do the right thing and give federal employees a 3.5% pay adjustment next year.
This amount reflects a combination of the full across-the-board pay increase provided for in the market-comparability law of 2.5%, plus an additional 1% to be distributed across the various localities according to the size of regional pay gaps.
“Federal agencies must be able to pay market wages and salaries to recruit and retain a high-quality federal workforce, and that workforce deserves a pay raise that allows them to take care of themselves and their families,” said AFGE National Secretary-Treasurer Everett Kelley.
