Bush Signs Order to Raise Fed Workers' Pay

[Rose Siding]

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush (news - web sites) spelled out in greater detail Thursday the pay raise that takes effect Jan. 1 for federal workers, members of Congress, judges — even Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites).

Congress passed the pay raises earlier this year, but Bush was required to sign an executive order detailing the pay hikes before the end of the year. He did so Thursday.
...
The measure provides civil servants with 3.5 percent raises — the same that nilitary personnel will receive next year. Under a complicated formula, that translates to 2.5 percent for members of Congress.

The 2.5 percent pay hike also applies to the vice president — who is president of the Senate — congressional leaders and Supreme Court justices.

Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Chief Justice William Rehnquist (news - web sites) will go from $203,000 to $208,100. Associate justices move from $194,300 to $199,200 and House and Senate party leaders go up from $175,700 to $180,100.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041231/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_pay_raises

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. is this a bribe

to keep someone from the house contesting the election results

[Deja Q]

2. Swift move there, Presinut Ex-Lax*. Pay hikes plus tax cuts = dumb.

One or the other *, not both.

Rescind the tax cuts. They haven't even BEGUN to do what you've claimed, Mr. Nuttypants*.

[Sara Beverley]

3. We need a freeze on Federal Executive pay and a pay caps for corporate

CEOs. That's the way to change the tone and set the example at the top and stop this widening gap between the haves and have-nots (you know, between the people who do virtually nothing to earn a living and the people who work their butts off just to survive.)

[charlyvi]

5. Excuse Me.

I'm a federal employee and I DO work my butt off to survive. Not all of us are Senators, Congressmen or Presidential appointees. Just saying.

[Digit]

6. That is larger than the pvt sector is getting

At least the ones who HAVE jobs. I am only a temp myself...no full time work to be had.
I thought that back when I was a fed employee, we only got 2.5.
I would be making ALOT more at my old grade and step if I was a fed again.

[charlyvi]

8. When I worked in the private sector,

I regularly received bigger cola increases than I ever got working for the federal government. And I worked in the private sector 15 years. And now the job isn't even secure--thanks to shrub's privatization obsession. So don't expect any guilt from this poor country girl--we deserve more.

[genieroze]

7. We aren't talking about civil servant workers. Just politicians. lol eom

[Newsjock]

4. AP's Freudian slip is showing

The measure provides civil servants with 3.5 percent raises — the same that nilitary personnel will receive next year.

I guess that's the Gospel According to Chimpy.

[Maria Celeste]

14. Bush tried to do less

Originally civilians were going to get about half of what military did. However there is a lot of data (and its growing) that the civilians are markedly behind the private sector in terms of pay and benefits. Federal unions forced the parity, which has been the norm in a number of areas.

Its also not an automatic 3.5 for everyone It is split between base and area adjustments. The latter accounts for the difference between living in San Francisco Bay area and Kansas. I am not sure how its going to be divided this year (but I am sure GSA has)

While its not as bad as Walmart, raising a family on single civil servant pay in an urban area is not easy.

[0007]

9. Nothing for the peon, the lackey, the flunky, the dogsbody, the inferior

the subordinate, the menial, the underling and the people that keep this country going. The minimum wage stays at $5.15 per hours. What a country! Where big foot steps on the little folks and then sends his children to war.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. I think that a prerequisite for serving in Congress or in the

government should be the would-be government servant being plopped down in a city -- any city would do -- with $10 cash, no credit card, a one-bedroom apartment and a cashier's job at Wal-Mart. After 3 months he could move on into his gummint job with a vague idea of how the other 85% live.

[The Judged]

11. 3.5% raises, if they remain employed! Concession or confession?

Inflation is FAR LESS than 3.5% (?), so why on Earth would Re-uglicans give higher than inflation raises to civil servants? It defies their own principles and economic laws!

[vpigrad]

12. Once again..

the government looks-out for their own while screwing the people.

Where's my raise?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. How about the Congressional toilet bowl scrubbers?

Are they getting a raise?

I'm all for Civil Servants raises; but not for Congress, and certainly not for the Dick.

[hollowdweller]

15. As a Gov't employee I have noticed as far as salary the GOP gives more

raises than the democrats. This is at both the state and local level. However as far as working conditions things are always way better under Democrats, in that if we receive additional work they allow money for additional staff. Where when Republicans are in even with raises the workers who leave and are not replaced is huge shooting up caseloads.

Right now Bush has given us a huge $$ for technology to allow us(Soc. Sec) to go to a paperless disability claim, but the technology is FUCKED! It is SO FUCKING SLOW that our caseloads are up to our necks and they can't figure out why. At the same time they won't give us any money for clerks or other support staff to help because the computers are supposed to eliminate them. The whole thing is a perfect example of the people making the decisions never really talking to anyone who DOES THE WORK before they make a decision to alter the process. Kind of like Rummy ignoring the military saying he'd need more boots on the ground.