Obama Proposes Two-Year Pay Freeze for Federal Employees

[williamrights]

I wonder if this is like when the feds said they would cut budgets. But in actuality they just did not give them a budget bump. IE the department was supposed to get a 3% buget hike and they did not so they said it was a 3% cut.

 

[TRWXXA]

Unfortunately, the "pay freeze" only freezes the cost of living adjusment (about 3% annually). Federal employees can still increase their already-bloated salaries by getting promoted to a higher GS level, and they'll also get their "step" increases every year like they always do.

Those poor, suffering gubbament workers.

 

[possum_128]

Unfortunately, the "pay freeze" only freezes the cost of living adjusment (about 3% annually). Federal employees can still increase their already-bloated salaries by getting promoted to a higher GS level, and they'll also get their "step" increases every year like they always do.

Those poor, suffering gubbament workers.

Well first off there must be an open slot and they must be qualified and compete in order to get a higher GS level. No different than the private sector.

And as for the step increases, that don't happen every year for everyone. Only an empoyee who is in their current GS level will get a step increase each year for the first 3 years, then they must wait 2 years for a step increase and then after that time it takes 3 years for each step increase.

And we do not make more than our private sector conterparts, at least in my field. As a federal Firefighter I must work 72 hours per week to make around the same pay as a Firefighter for IFD who only works 56 hours per week.

So please don't make a blanket statement about all of us as you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

 

[John Galt]

Don't these positions have to be funded? Why not just start cutting redundant agencies/departments? Does any rational, logical, breathing person honestly think we can keep kicking this irresponsibility down the road? We are going to be forced to deal with the reality of the consequences of Big Government within the next 10 years and I would just as soon we start now, so at least my kids have a chance.
Otherwise, prepare yourselves accordingly.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

Actually - what needs to happen is this: immediate 15% EXPENDITURE reduction across each department. I don't care what department we're talking about. Simply reduce what you are doing by 15%.... There's enough fat across the board for that. Businesses do that as well when they hit tough times. So maybe it's the people that take the cut, maybe it's operating expenses, but overall they get to find a way to whack out 15% like the rest of us.

If they would simply bite the bullet and DO this (as opposed to scare tactics and political game playing) the country would prosper. This is posturing by Obama - he knows that going further down the current path would be the equivalent of "let them eat cake". That said the AFL-CIO head was on the tube just now decrying the proposed freeze.

One only needs to study the history of nations who have become completely run by guilds and unions to fully appreciate the danger. Don't get me wrong there was a time when the pendulum swung the other way and there was a very valid purpose for them. At this point however - they are arguing for that which is not sustainable, and are about to "kill the host". Nothing symbiotic about that - even parasites will tell you that's a bad idea....

 

[Expat]

Get rid of the Dept of Education and Dept of Energy immediately. Slash the other Departments and make them justify everything they do. Start looking at everything the Federal government, is it on the list of enumerated powers in the Constitution?

 

[Leadeye]

I have to wonder if this applies to strictly GS or includes contracted employees as well and what the current ratio is between them.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

I have to wonder if this applies to strictly GS or includes contracted employees as well and what the current ratio is between them.

It won't apply to anyone. He "proposes". Read all the words that are there. And the one's that aren't. Also look at the lack of outrage from the federal government unions. They are providing token opposition. I'm sure the discussion has already been held that the administration is going to put this out, but won't support it in the end. Loss of good people , best and brightest, all that.

 

[melensdad]

Read between the lines...

He is proposing a pay freeze so the conservatives can't lower the federal employees pay in the next 3 years.

He needs to freeze the pay . . .

• And include a HIRING FREEZE.
• And cut the pay to Federal employees by at least 10%.
• And include 5 to 10 mandatory days off per year without pay.
• And include a 5% cut in the number of Federal employees.
• And require employee contributions to their pension plan.
• And require employee contributions to their health insurance.

If he wants to show that he & the federal workers understand what is actually happening in the private sector to "real people" then he & the federal workers need to actually go through what we have been going through for the past 2 years and likely will be going through for another decade.

 

[Grizhicks]

I was going to stay out of this, but....

per 'melensdad':



He needs to freeze the pay . . .

• And include a HIRING FREEZE. I agree
• And cut the pay to Federal employees by at least 10%. Why?, as a DOD contracting officer, I know I make 10%-15% less than my counterparts in private industry
• And include 5 to 10 mandatory days off per year without pay. Why? (see above)
• And include a 5% cut in the number of Federal employees. I agree
• And require employee contributions to their pension plan. We do
• And require employee contributions to their health insurance. We do

-- Greg

 

[BloodEclipse]

Federal employees have received raises over the last two years under Obama.
He has also added tons of new federal workers.
All he is doing is trying to protect those raises that were doled.

 

[melensdad]

Federal employees have received raises over the last two years under Obama.
He has also added tons of new federal workers.
All he is doing is trying to protect those raises that were doled.

Yes, but you are one of the very few politically aware people in the nation. Most people have no clue. Therefore they think his pay freeze actually will do something good. In fact it won't, it just protects federal jobs by preempting efforts from budget cutters to actually slash employment/wages/departments at the federal level.

 

[BloodEclipse]

I was going to stay out of this, but....

per 'melensdad':




He needs to freeze the pay . . .

• And include a HIRING FREEZE. I agree
• And cut the pay to Federal employees by at least 10%. Why?, as a DOD contracting officer, I know I make 10%-15% less than my counterparts in private industry
• And include 5 to 10 mandatory days off per year without pay. Why? (see above)
• And include a 5% cut in the number of Federal employees. I agree
• And require employee contributions to their pension plan. We do
• And require employee contributions to their health insurance. We do

-- Greg

DOD and the military in general is the one area in which federal employees are underpaid.
Ever wonder why that is?

 

[grimor]

It doesn't matter if they freeze the pay. all they did was PROMOTE people to new positions with more pay, even if the responsibility are exactly the same

 

[Bigum1969]

DOD and the military in general is the one area in which federal employees are underpaid.
Ever wonder why that is?

I'm guessing we're about to get the union card played?

 

[TRWXXA]

Well first off there must be an open slot and they must be qualified and compete in order to get a higher GS level. No different than the private sector.

"Qualified and competent" has NEVER been a requirement for a government job -- just look at Obama.

I suspect we'll see a huge wave of government worker "promotions". Their positions will get reclassified. A GS-7 will wake up one day to find his job is now a GS-8 or -9 position.

And we do not make more than our private sector conterparts, at least in my field. As a federal Firefighter I must work 72 hours per week to make around the same pay as a Firefighter for IFD who only works 56 hours per week.

Sounds like you made a poor vocational decision. You should have gone to work for the IFD. Or do they expect their applicants to be "qualified and competent"?

 

[jedi]

"Qualified and competent" has NEVER been a requirement for a government job -- just look at Obama.

Your president and congress hold ELECTED positions which is a different "animal" than applying for a federal job. Elected people don't need to know anything about their job so long as they get enough votes to get into office.

Those that apply for a federal job have to meet xyz items.
IE. A computer engineer working for DOD must have at least a BA in engineering from an acreddite school, must have a GPA of ...., be a us citizen, have signed up for selective service, and on and on.


You can have a 10 year experienced comuter engineer who worked for IBM but has no degree (from a school) apply for a computer job and have a fresh college kid apply and the college kid will get the job becuase based on the ratings that OPM does the kid has a better score.

I suspect we'll see a huge wave of government worker "promotions". Their positions will get reclassified. A GS-7 will wake up one day to find his job is now a GS-8 or -9 position.

Doubt it. Just like it take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to termianate a federal employee it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r x 2 to change the ceiling of a position under the GS system. The amout of paperwork needed for documentation is a lot.

Sounds like you made a poor vocational decision. You should have gone to work for the IFD. Or do they expect their applicants to be "qualified and competent"?

Man this is low but as it was directed at someone else I won't comment on it any further.

Back to the OP.
This is just a token, feel good thing. Sure freeze the pay but that does not address the core issue.

The core issue is we are spending MORE than we take in.
Look at this nice graph:
Taking apart the federal budget (washingtonpost.com)

The "savings" by freezeing the pays are in the 5 billion mark (over 5 years) yet we are in the trillions in debt. So this is like saying well I'm overspending thousands of dollars a day. I guess I can stop buying that penny candy I eat every day to help cut cost.


If they really want to cut cost it's gonna be painful because they need to think in terms of entire depts and programs.

Another nice graph:
Federal Budget Spending and the National Debt

They need to think like Dave Ramsey.
1) You do your budget and get it to stop bleeding. IE. BALANCE
2) You begin to get rid of everything that is a luxury. (cable TV, 2 car notes: sell a car, no more eating out, etc..)

But congress/white house is NOT willing to do that. Nor is any Congress/White House in the future wiling to do that. That is political suicide and no one has the balls to do it.

 

[LocustsOfSteel]

This whole thing is nothing but a bunch of political sidetracking and posing to appease the un-enlightened masses.

The real problem with our debt is the interest that we pay to the federal reserve bank, its private not federal, and like any private corporation they have only one mission, to make money.

Tomas Jefferson strongly opposed central banks, and Andrew Jackson managed to fight off a private bank that tried to take over this country long ago, but people forgot these things and just sat by and let the federal reserve hijack our system early in the last century, shortly thereafter we got suckered into borrowing a fortune from them in WW1... from there on its a sad history lesson in financial downward spirals.

The only way we can fix this financial situation is to kill the bank... but then there buddy's in china and other countries would be unleashed on us like you could never imagine.

 

[possum_128]

"Qualified and competent" has NEVER been a requirement for a government job -- just look at Obama.

I suspect we'll see a huge wave of government worker "promotions". Their positions will get reclassified. A GS-7 will wake up one day to find his job is now a GS-8 or -9 position.

Sounds like you made a poor vocational decision. You should have gone to work for the IFD. Or do they expect their applicants to be "qualified and competent"?

So are you calling me unqualified and incompetent? If you are you know what you can kiss sir. I have over 30 years as a Firefighter as well as patents and copyrights for the fire service, not what I would call incompetent. As far as IFD I did not nor would I move to Marion county just to work there.

And as far as a poor vocation decision, I protect those that defend America and our rights. I would not call that a poor decision.

You sir should be so lucky to do what I do.

 

[Sigblaster]

Hopefully this is not including soldiers whom are putting their a$$ on the line for us all. I figure that we dont pay them enough for what they do.

Are you kidding me? There is PLENTY of room for cuts in military pay.