Civilian federal employees, including blue-collar workers, will
get a 4.1 percent pay increase in 2004 to match military raises,
under a spending bill amendment approved by the House
Appropriations Committee Thursday.
“If we don't do this, then we lose some of our best employees,”
said Rep. James Moran, D-Va. “We may not see it overnight, but
more than half the federal workforce is eligible to retire in the
next three to five years. We ought to at least provide parity
between the military and civilian personnel.”
The amendment—which was also offered by Reps. Steny Hoyer,
D-Md., and Frank Wolf, R-Va.—passed by a voice vote. It is
expected to go to the House floor in September as part of the
Transportation and Treasury appropriations bill.
Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., opposed the measure because it
would add more than $2 billion in spending at a time the federal
government faces a deficit of $450 billion. Istook distributed a
chart showing that since 1996, federal civil service pay has risen
at a higher rate than both the cost of living and Social Security
payments.
“I'm not opposed to adjusting pay to federal workers. The
president has a responsible proposal,” Istook said. President
George Bush has proposed
a 2.0 percent increase for civilians in fiscal 2004.
The parity measure includes blue-collar workers in pay parity
efforts for the first time. Hoyer said in a statement that these
workers include munitions operators, instrument mechanics and
other skilled craft and trade employees. “Our nation depends on
these workers to maintain our planes, ships, tanks and weapon
systems in at constant states of readiness.”
The committee also discussed two other amendments to the bill
that would affect federal workers—one on locality pay, which was
withdrawn, and another on privatization, which passed by a voice
vote.
Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., said the Office of Management and
Budget issued a directive adjusting the nation's Metropolitan
Statistical Areas. The changes include redefining boundaries and
creating new “micropolitan” statistical areas. Farr warned that
these changes could have drastic effects on locality pay.
“This is fundamentally changing the entire criteria,” Farr
said. “You're changing the whole map of the United States in one
fell swoop.”
Farr said his amendment would delay any changes for a year to
give the Federal Salary Council more time to examine the impact of
using the OMB's new definitions on the workforce. But Farr agreed
to withdraw the amendment after Istook agreed to work with him on
the issue.
Moran complained about the “arbitrary nature” of privatizing
federal jobs, and about the millions of dollars spent on
outsourcing studies. He offered an
amendment that would require agencies to prepare annual
reports for Congress on the number of employee studies for
competitive sourcing, and the cost to the agency to carry out the
programs. The amendment passed by a voice vote.
