AFGE Urges Congress to Give Feds 1.9% Raise
September 04, 2018
Our union is urging Congress to pass a 1.9% pay adjustment for more than 2 million federal employees next year, despite President Trump’s plan to freeze their wages.
The Senate on Aug. 1 approved a 1.9% pay raise for federal employees in January as part of a fiscal 2019 spending bill. Absent action from Congress, federal workers would be denied any pay adjustment in January under an alternative pay plan President Trump submitted to Congress today.
“I urge Congress to follow the Senate’s lead and provide federal employees with a modest pay adjustment in January, which would help prevent workers from falling further behind next year and help federal agencies recruit and retain the high-caliber workforce that the public expects and deserves,” said AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. “Federal employees deserve the full measure of pay comparability provided by the law, and a 1.9% increase is the minimum that Congress should consider.”
President Trump’s plan to freeze wages for federal employees next year ignores the fact that they are worse off today financially than they were at the start of the decade. Federal employees have had their pay and benefits cut by over $200 billion since 2011, and they are earning nearly 5% less today than they did at the start of the decade.
“Federal workers truly are America’s workforce – more than 2 million dedicated and committed federal workers who care for our veterans, support our military, protect our environment, and help working families make ends meet,” Cox added. “More than one-third are veterans themselves, while many more work to support spouses or children who are actively serving.”
