In February, President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package into law. Included in that package was an increase in the monthly public transit benefit allowance which went into effect on March 1. The SEC, however, has yet to increase the public transit benefit available to SEC Employees. 

The new legislation permits employers to subsidize their employees as much as $230 per month, or $2,760 per year, in public transportation benefits. Currently, SEC employees are eligible to receive the former maximum of $120 per month, or $1,440 per year.

The collective bargaining agreement between NTEU and the SEC was amended during the last round of negotiations to provide that the SEC would pass on to its employees any increase in public transit benefits within two months of such an increase, or reopen the agreement for further negotiations. NTEU is prepared to deal with further negotiations if necessary, but the SEC should do the right thing and increase this important public transit subsidy without further delay.

Indeed, all federal agencies should take the lead on this issue, and serve as an example for the private sector. The United States currently uses approximately 25% of the world’s total annual oil output, but our nation represents only approximately 5% of the world’s population and holds less than 3% of the world’s proven oil reserves. Clearly, conservation measures are vitally important to our energy future.

Furthermore, the relatively modest public transit subsidy increases provided in the stimulus package encourage workers not to drive their cars into the city, reducing carbon emissions. Lessening commuting greenhouse gasses in our cities, which cause increasing environmental damage, should be a critical priority across the government.

Perhaps it for these reasons that other federal agencies, such as the IRS, have already given the increased public transit subsidy to their employees. The SEC’s budgetary priorities, however, can sometimes be perplexing. For a fraction of the money the agency spent in FY 2009 on rearranging employees’ desks at Headquarters, for example, the SEC could have made the increased public transit subsidy available to its employees. NTEU strongly urges the agency to do the right thing by increasing the transit subsidy immediately.