More civil servants are now subject to two-year pay freeze

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Washington Post

The two-year pay freeze that is now law for federal employees on the pay scale known as the General Schedule will also apply to hundreds of thousands of civil servants whose wages are set under a separate salary system, according to an executive order signed last week by President Obama.

Employees covered by the "Administratively Determined" pay scale - not legislated by Congress but set by agencies - make up about 30 percent of the federal workforce of 2 million. They include public health doctors and nurses, medical personnel in the Department of Veterans Affairs system, administrative-law judges and lawyers, and auditors and other staff members at financial agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. The system gives hiring staffs more discretion than usual to determine salaries for those relatively high-paying positions to compete with the private sector.

The president's directive also imposes the pay freeze on members of the Senior Executive Service, a small cadre of managers whose salaries exceed the highest level on the GS scale. Raises for these executives generally are performance-based, unlike those for employees in the GS system.

The freeze's expansion to the majority of government workers except active-duty military personnel was widely expected. The big question now is whether the small group of employees whose wages are negotiated through collective-bargaining agreements, chief among them air traffic controllers, will be affected.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/27/AR2010122704327.html

[blueamy66]

1. WAH

I hope that I can sleep tonight.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Why would you say something like that?

Is it because they're civil servants, or would that response apply to any employees anywhere in the US who had their pay frozen?

[blueamy66]

9. Um, both.

In this day and age.....anyone that has the NERVE to expect a raise is outright greedy....especially guvment workers.

WAH!!!!

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Why is it especially government workers?

And if the cost of living is rising (not sure if it is or not in the US), why is it selfish for workers to want pay-rises? There's nothing greedy at all about that...

[blueamy66]

11. Because govt workers whine too much

about their bennies and not getting pay raises when they thave the nicest job security, pay, bennies and pensions in the USA.

[Violet_Crumble]

12. Sounds like a whole bunch of sour grapes...

I've got no idea what 'bennies' are, but the same attacks could be made on just about any other bunch of workers by people who have ridiculous axes to grind with them...

[blueamy66]

17. bennies

are benefits....you've never heard that term before?

[Violet_Crumble]

21. Benefits? Never heard of it before...

I'm a government worker in another country, which explains me not hearing it before...

By benefits, do you mean things like sick and annual leave? If so, why shouldn't they have good working conditions? Everyone deserves them, and to think that if someone has good working conditions they don't deserve any pay rises is the sort of thing I thought only American conservatives would embrace, along with a raging hatred of unions and any protection for workers. Instead of bashing government workers, why not exert that energy on fighting for all workers to have good working conditions and pay?

[blueamy66]

23. benefits = health, dental, life insurance, paid time off, sick pay

and the like...

[CreekDog]

13. so the workers affected by the pay freeze have better health benefits than any others?

do you have dental?

does any other worker pay 28% of the full price of their health premium?

[blueamy66]

18. No, I don't have dental insurance

cause it's not worth it. I would pay out $600 a year for a chance that I might save $400 a year.

Any more questions?

[CreekDog]

20. but you said those workers benefits were better than anyone else's

are they?

prove it?

[blueamy66]

22. Sorry, but I cannot, as I no longer am a state/fed employee.

But when I was, the dental insurance was the tops.

[CreekDog]

25. dental isn't part of basic federal health plans

the most typical federal health plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO), which about half of all Federal Workers have, has no dental benefits or vision.

it is a good plan in many respects --it is not however, 'the tops'.

[Paladin]

27. I Doubt You Were Ever A Government Employee.....

....given your non-stop trashing of federal workers on this thread. Obama's pay and benefit restrictions were a thoughtless, gratuitous slap at yet another sizable portion of his base, a useless attempt to curry favor with his Republican pals. He deserves to lose D.C., Virginia and Maryland in 2012 as a result.

And no, I'm not a government worker, myself. But I have plenty of friends and acquaintances who are---and Obama can kiss all of their votes good-bye.....

[RobinA]

26. I'm A Govt Worker

Please tell me where these positions are with job security, great pay and benefits, because I sure don't have one. Decent health that I pay for, ok dental, useless vision. Well below average vacation, average sick and holiday. Average life insurance. No other bennies. Pension good if you've been here your whole life, otherwise average. Job security - under constant threat of closure of my facility. Pay - for my education, laughable. Working conditions - ancient, nonexistent or broken office equipment, office below ground with no windows for air, average office temp in winter - 80 degrees, two inch roaches, frequent water shut-offs, few supplies to do our jobs... I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. I've worked private and public, "nicest" this ain't.

[arbusto_baboso]

24. Uh, do you actually KNOW any government workers personally?

From your comments about job security, pay and wonderful bennies, i think you don't. So kindly STFU. There IS NO gravy train anymore, so stop repeating Reagan-era bullshit.

[salib]

2. Amazing what the Prez can do by fiat, huh?

Why the excuse of "need 50 votes" on so many other issues?

Perhaps, he "really wants" to reduce civil service pay, and did not "really want" to end DADT? Took an act of Congress to end that. Did not take one to do this to civil service employees.

True colors. Sorry.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Some things are important to do by an act of Congress so that they cannot be easily reversed by

future Presidents.

[salib]

4. Desegregation of theilotary was by fiat

And lasted quite some time, I would say. In the meantime, people were thrown out for "being gay" for two years (and still can be right now).

Why wait?

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. There was no law requiring the military to be segregated which needed to be repealed

[CreekDog]

6. doctors and nurses?

that take care of our vets?

[fasttense]

7. Too bad they can't freeze CEO pay and bankster's pay bonuses. n/t

[dflprincess]

16. But they can extend the tax cuts the CEOs and banksters got

while the worker bees get their wages frozen.

[crim son]

14. I feel badly for them, I do, but

I'm working a part time seasonal job to try to pay my bills, and I'm sure as hell not going to get a raise, nor benefits, nor an offer for full time work. I'd trade places with any one of them in a second, and have the intelligence and educational background to be able to perform many of their jobs.

[Rage for Order]

15. Well, considering there hasn't been any inflation in the past 2+ years...

This does not seem unreasonable.

[lonestarnot]

19. Bwahahahah. a ha ha ha ha.

:rofl: