3/25/09: Today the House Budget Committee included language calling for pay parity in its budget resolution. The resolution calls for an equal level of pay increase in fiscal year 2010 for both military personnel and federal civilian employees. While the budget resolution needs to go though the committee markup and reporting process, this is an early victory for NTEU. NTEU will continue to push the language until it is reported by the Budget Committee and passed by the House of Representatives, hopefully in the upcoming weeks.

The budget submission to Congress by the administration had called for a 2.9 percent pay raise for the military and only 2 percent for federal employees. We found this disappointing and not in keeping with prior pay precedent. At NTEU’s urging, the pay parity language, calling for equal raises for both groups, was included in the early version of the budget resolution, known as the “Chairman’s Mark.” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) who sits on the Budget Committee were instrumental in its inclusion.

While there is a long way to go before the pay raises are enacted, this is a good first step.