12/19/08: NTEU National President Colleen Kelley today expressed approval of the White House decision to allocate one percentage point of the average 3.9 percent federal civilian employee pay raise in 2009 to locality pay. The White House decision was announced in an executive order implementing the pay raise. Click here, OPM Locality Rates, to review the actual increase percentages by city.

“This action is an important step in helping close the gap between public and private sector pay in some areas of the country, and I am hopeful it will assist federal agencies in their ongoing recruiting and retention efforts,” said President Kelley. Kelley is a member of the FSC.

The 3.9 percent raise pushed by NTEU for the federal civilian workforce not only matches the raise provided in the coming year for members of the military, it is a full percentage point higher than the 2.9 percent raise proposed by the administration in its budget blueprint last February. At that time, the White House proposed a 2009 military pay raise of 3.4 percent.

NTEU engaged in a lengthy effort with members of Congress to win approval of a higher raise than sought by the administration. “It is disappointing that in every year of this administration, it has failed to make the connection between fair and competitive pay and the ability of agencies to secure and keep the high-quality employees they need if they are going to meet public expectations of government service,” President Kelley said.
She noted that in seven of the past eight years NTEU was successful in securing for federal employees a higher pay raise than the president proposed.

“Our success reflects a growing bipartisan understanding among members of Congress of the vital role federal workers play in delivering services to our country and the need to offer a fair and competitive pay rate that reflects the contributions these workers make to their agencies and the public,” Kelley said.

She added: “Congressional support for a fair and reasonable pay raise is a clear message for the federal employees who perform the work of the American people every day that their efforts and commitment to excellence are recognized and appreciated.”