FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2024
January 30, 2024
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
AFGE Urges Congress to Address Double-Digit Federal Pay Gap by Passing the FAIR Act
Categories:
Congress, Pay
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees wholeheartedly supports legislation introduced today that would help close the double-digit pay gap between the federal and private sectors by providing federal employees with a 7.4% pay raise next year.
“Federal employees earn 27.5% less on average than they would doing the same jobs in the private sector – and that situation has been getting worse for years,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “The government will never be able to dig itself out of this hole without meaningful pay raises that not only keep pace with rising costs of living but begin to narrow the pay gap.”
Today, Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act, or FAIR Act, which would provide federal employees with an average 7.4% pay raise in 2025.
“The pay gap between federal and private-sector workers today is worse than it was 33 years ago, when the current federal pay system was created to address growing pay disparities,” Kelley said.
“Years of pay freezes and inadequate adjustments mean federal employees are worse off today than they were three decades ago,” he said. “Unless Congress increases federal pay substantially, federal agencies will continue struggling to recruit and retain employees who can earn far larger salaries outside the government.
“I thank Representative Connolly and Senator Schatz for introducing this critical legislation and encourage lawmakers to show their support for the federal employees who keep our government running by cosponsoring the FAIR Act and working to ensure its passage.”
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