Military Pay Raise Passes Senate

09/20/2008

9/19/08: The full Senate has passed S. 3001, the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2009 with a 3.9 percent pay raise for military personnel in a vote of 88-8. NTEU supported the measure’s 3.9 percent raise for military personnel, an increase of one half percent above the President’s recommendation of a 3.4 percent raise. This was an endorsement of the precedent of providing raises based on the Employment Cost Index (ECI) now at 3.4 percent, plus one-half percent. The bill’s passage will enable the House and Senate to go to conference on the measure. NTEU is lobbying for the identical amount for federal civilian employees despite the president’s ill-advised proposal of a mere 2.9 percent increase for federal employees. NTEU successfully fought for pay parity language in the congressional budget resolution and we will remain vigilant to that goal.

As reported in August, NTEU succeeded in getting the 3.9 percent level in the House and Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriation bills which set federal employee pay. While the congressional schedule is in flux at the current time, NTEU will examine all legislative vehicles to continue its fight for the 3.9 percent pay raise for federal employees and our brothers and sisters in the military.