Obama to Freeze Pay for Most Federal Workers for 2 Years

[cali]

By PETER BAKER
Published: November 29, 2010


WASHINGTON -- President Obama plans to announce a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal workers later Monday morning, according to an administration official, the latest White House move intended to demonstrate concern over sky-high deficit spending.
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The president’s proposal will effectively wipe out plans for a 1.4 percent across-the-board raise for 2.1 million civilian federal government employees in 2011 and 2012. The military would not be affected. The president has frozen the salaries of his own top White House staff members since taking office 22 months ago.

While a pay freeze will make only a small dent in the federal deficit, it represents a symbolic gesture toward public anger over unemployment, the anemic economic recovery and rising national debt. By announcing it on Monday, the president effectively will preempt Republicans who have been talking about making such a move once they take over the House and assume more seats in the Senate in January.

The number of federal workers making more than $150,000 a year has grown ten-fold in the past five years and doubled since Mr. Obama took office, USA Today reported earlier this month. Since 2000, federal pay and benefits have increased 3 percent annually above inflation, compared with 0.8 percent for private sector workers, according to data cited by the newspaper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/us/politics/30freeze.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Be interesting if he can actually do what is described

Inflation adjustment is pretty much black letter law as is how it is calculated.

The $150K/year Federal employee meme has been pretty much debunked here and elsewhere.

[JuniperLea]

8. Has it been debunked? I've not seen that...

But I will say, if this is a total compensation figure which includes health and other benefits, it's not all that much money.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. The basic debunking is in the salary tables

The only ones getting that kind of paycheck are specialists like doctors, not GS or SES. The meme has been about gross pay and has not included benefits.

[JuniperLea]

23. Thanks...

I figured there was a good explanation.

Welcome to the war on Obama.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. I'm a federal employee and wish I made that much money. It's simply not true

across the board.

[JuniperLea]

28. I figured as much...

It reminds me of the big GM salaries... that's why I asked the question about total compensation vs. salary. The top salary I ever saw was $75k, plus benefits, which isn't much in the big picture today.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

32. Hmm...It really depends on the agency and the skills level. The top level

at the agency that I work for is right around $160,000 or thereabouts, and these are typically for higher level management. Keep in mind that much of that management has been around for decades. People typically tend to remain in civil service for many, many years. So naturally you see grade and salary increases.

[northzax]

36. here's the 2010 pay scale

http://www.fedjobs.com/pay/pay.html

as a general rule, an 11 is middle management, you supervise one or two people, have a master's and five years or so. a 13 is career management, running a small division. a 15 is a division chief.

[Scruffy1]

42. Yes, according to the BLS-its 22% less

These are Doctors, scientists, and other educated specialists for the most part. Most low skilled jobs are farmed out. Good bye Barry, Do you really think anyone will vote for you in 2012?

[Gaedel]

11. Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter held federal and military pay raises well below the inflation rate during his term in office.

Sort of like "only Nixon could go to China".

[northzax]

34. oh, I know feds who make that kind of money

of course, they are seriously senior leaders, who would be capable of making multiples of that in the private sector. a friend just accepted a Senior Executive Service position, in the neighborhood of $170k. of course, he turned down close to $400k in the private sector because he believes in serving his country.

I now just as many people who have left government service to double their salaries, if you have kids who need tuition, that's hard to turn down.

[TNLib]

44. I worked for a federal agency for 10 years

Some in upper management executive level made millions with total compensation package and that includes VPs. Senior management made way over 150K a year.

http://ceoworld.biz/ceo/2008/10/31/outrageous-move-tva-raises-ceo-tom-kilgores-compensation

I'm personally extremely glad about this because the management at TVA\IS was horrible and the general IS employee basically sat on their ass and did nothing while the contractors did the work.

I also worked at the post office as a casual which meant I was not considered an employee. I worked my tail off while the management cracked the whip on us but let the employees do what ever they wanted, which generally included sitting around chit chatting.

[Divernan]

2. Does this freeze include fat annual bonuses to political hack appointees?

That means squat if the fed agencies continue to give annual bonuses to employees. The way this worked under Bush was the inexperien­ced political hacks and unqualifie­d adult children thereof who got appointed/­hired to the top 3 levels or so of management got, as I recall, midlevel, 5 figure annual bonuses (+/-some $30,000) EACH - to make up for their huge "sacrifice­" in leaving private industry to take a public service job. The fact was that a lot of the loser kids of big donors had never had a management level job in their pampered lives. The lower level management and other employees would get a token few hundred dollars each, to keep up the charade that everyone got bonuses so it was not favoritism to the political hires.

So would some honest investigat­ive journalist please pin down the administra­tion on whether these bonuses will continue during the "freeze"?

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Congress also?

[michreject]

9. civilian federal government employees

Congress took an oath of office, therefore they're not considered civilian federal government employees.

[MadBadger]

21. Congress will have a pay freeze unless they vote to raise their salaries

I believe that is how its done.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

26. Congress actually voted to forgo salary increases last year. That charge

was led by Nancy Pelosi in the House. Let's hope they do it again for consistency's sake.

[Radical Activist]

4. I hope this gets some of the Bush hold outs to leave.

[blondeatlast]

5. More governing by misguided, misinformed public opinion.

FAUX talks and reason flies out the window.

Shame, shame.

[JuniperLea]

6. This should be a popular move...

Good to see you, cali! Hope you've been well.

I'll wait for this bit to be sorely misinterpreted here...

"The number of federal workers making more than $150,000 a year has grown ten-fold in the past five years and doubled since Mr. Obama took office, USA Today reported earlier this month."

[cali]

10. Hi, JL. Awfully good to touch base with you

hope you are doing splendidly. And I agree. Of course, you're right. The average DU response is outrage- though that's true of practically anything said on... anything.

[jefferson_dem]

47. Really. I just log in after a hard days work to see DU has hit DEFCON 5 ... again.

Over a two year salary freeze for federal workers!1!111!111 Good grief. Some folks just love complainin'...

[girl gone mad]

13. Popular? Perhaps.

Smart? No way.

We should be expanding our deficit right now, not shrinking it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

27. You need to read down further. That figure is for doctors and other high-level

professions working for the government, e.g., Veterans hospitals.

[JuniperLea]

29. I get it...

Thanks.

I'm betting the meme/lie will be furthered on DU... we're at war with Obama, donchano, and anything that can be hurled at him, will be.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

33. Of course everything is his fault. Federal salaries were increasing during Bush's

tenure. Why? Mainly because the cost of living has dreadfully increased. And for those of us who reside in the Washington, D.C. area, we are all too aware of the fact that the cost of living here is unbelievable.

In fact, a report that was released just today showed that Washington, D.C. is ranked #1 for the rate of increase in housing prices.

For people like myself, who may earn a good salary, it means nothing if I cannot afford to buy a house.

One other thing that the USA Today article doesn't address:

$150,000 in Atlanta is not the same as $150,000 in D.C. If I earned the same salary as I have now elsewhere, I'd be living pretty good, but living in this city, I can barely afford rent and my crazy school loans. And I have a Ph.D. and two Masters!!

It's not living on easy street at all, no matter what they tell you.

[JuniperLea]

37. I live in Los Angeles...

We're never further down those lists than #3. If I lived in the midwest with my salary, I'd be living high on the hog! In LA, I'm barely scrapping by.

I hear you. I really do.

[Arctic Dave]

7. "The military would not be affected"

Of course they wouldn't, not like these assholes aren't bleeding our country dry enough.

[H2O Man]

12. Hey!!!!

Long time no see!

[Scurrilous]

15. WB

:thumbsup:

[WizardLeft62]

16. As Usual--- Workers Scapegoated in "Budget Deficit" Time

As Usual---Federal & State Workers are Scapegoated!!!!!!!! It is either federal and state workers whom are scapegoated in times of "budget deficits" which are brought on by private sector greed.

Whether it's unions or teachers, those who do hard work every day are scapegoated to take pay cuts and pay freezes. Yet, when it comes to the banksters, they are bailed out without conditions. Where is the justice for those who lost their homes to foreclosure? What conditions were ever placed on the banks?

[hughee99]

20. In the private sector, it's the same way.

When a company isn't profitable, or even isn't making "as much as expected", private sector workers (not management, but the workers) get the same shaft as Federal and State Workers.

[Mimosa]

49. In the private sector it's far worse.

There are no 'civil service' guidelines. Most people I know who work in the private sector have not had any pay increases in years. And every peron I know in private sector middle management jobs is working longer hours and on weekends. As my grandmother said of her jobs during the Great Depression, many people are doing the jobs of 2 people for barely the pay of 1, just to keep roofs over their heads and food in the fridge. :(

[Autumn]

17. Obama on CEO bonuses, with tax dollars,

"They're very savvy businessmen. And I, like most of the American people, don't begrudge people success or wealth. That's part of the free market system."

Unless you need to make a symbolic gesture and freeze the wages of federal government employees.
I don't know of any Federal workers who make over 45,000 a year :wtf: This is becoming a fucking farce.

[TBF]

18. Does this include Congress? I'd like to see those millionaires lose their salaries

all together. If they are so righteous let's see them volunteer for the next year.

[Obamanaut]

35. In the voting for the budget this year, in April IIRC, congress did in

fact pass a measure that will forego their annual pay raise, which would normally take effect on Dec 31 of this year at midnight.

edited to add: http://www.factcheck.org/2010/05/another-zero-pay-increase-for-congress/

<snip> And now there will be no pay raise for House or Senate members next year, either. The House passed H.R. 5146 by a vote of 402 to 15 on April 27, and the Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent the following day. President Obama signed the brief bill into law without ceremony on May 14. It states that there will be no "adjustment" to the pay of House or Senate members during fiscal 2011, despite the law that would otherwise provide for a cost of living adjustment in line with inflation.

[MadHound]

19. Gotta pay for those tax cuts somehow

This is going to get ugly if we cut Federal workers' pay, then extend tax cuts for the rich. It's probably going to happen, but it will still be ugly.

[Jack Sprat]

24. The outrageous has become predictable, hasn't it? n/t

[AnnieBW]

22. Crap on the Federal Workers again...

Okay, I'm a Federal employee in the DC area. I get the base GS salary, plus locality pay for the Washington/Baltimore Metro area. You can view the base scale here:

http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/html/gs.asp

And the locality pay tables here:

http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/html/dcb.asp

According to what I'm seeing, only GS-15s above a step 7 make over $150K a year. Those people are most likely to be in their mid-50s and above, and came into Federal Service during the early 1980's. You know, when Ronald Reagan was "shrinking the size of government." So, most of the people making over $150K a year are your senior people who you don't want to get rid of.

[JuniperLea]

30. This is great intelligence!

Thanks!

What kind of jobs would be at the Grade 11, Step 8 or 9 level? Would you happen to know?

[AnnieBW]

51. Depends on the agency and the job.

Where I work, a 7-9 is considered to be a junior person, an 11, 12, or 13 is a mid-grade. You can become a first-line supervisor at grade 13. However, other agencies may vary.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

31. You are exactly right, but I see that even people here on DU have bought into

the right wing's propagated lie that somehow we are being paid "too much."

The pay grades are determined based on COLA and skills level.

To be fair, there may be those who are not productive but because they've been around government so long, they've accrued experience, and threfore a higher grade level. But this happens in the private sector, too!

I work for the federal government and have been for 10 years. I have a Ph.D. and two masters. I wish that I earned $150,000. I'm just trying to pay off students loans!!

[earth mom]

38. Meanwhile the Illegal & Immoral Wars suck BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars up, while the rich keep their

tax cuts.

Just another politician scapegoating and sticking it to the workers of this country while the war machine grinds on at all costs! :grr:

[Liquorice]

39. This is terrible news for my family. Obama's decision has made him very unpopular in my home. nt

[Mimosa]

40. Um, at least they have jobs.

A lot of people can't get steady work.

[Liquorice]

41. Oh okay. On second thought, we are thrilled with the pay freeze! Yay, we love it! nt

[cbdo2007]

48. So sorry you have to join so many of us in the private sector who have had our pay frozen

for the past 3 years already, not to mention the tens of millions of people layed off.

Sure you still have your benefits and the pay you've built up too, but boo hoo you're going to miss out on a 3% increase.

[Liquorice]

50. Yes, we've changed our mind about it. We're going to have a party to celebrate this weekend.

:party: And if the richest among us can keep their tax cuts, we will be beside ourselves with glee.

[MichiganVote]

43. God for minute I thought the Gov't was actually going to make the millionaires pay for something.

Whew! The poor downtrodden put upon wealthy like...er..the entire fucking Congress and the President of the US????

What a joke.

[erpowers]

45. Freeze Congressional Pay

My first question when I heard about this was is he going to push for a freeze of congressional pay. Just about every year members of Congress give themselves a big pay increase. The yearly congressional pay increases may be bigger than most federal employees receive when they get a raise. So, if the President is going to freeze the pay of federal workers he should also push Congress to freeze its pay increases for two years. Later in the article it was mentioned that some Republicans are proposing "slashing federal worker salaries". If that is the case the Republicans should slash their congressional salaries.

[Obamanaut]

46. Here -> Posted in an earlier response

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/05/another-zero-pay-incre... /

<snip> And now there will be no pay raise for House or Senate members next year, either. The House passed H.R. 5146 by a vote of 402 to 15 on April 27, and the Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent the following day. President Obama signed the brief bill into law without ceremony on May 14. It states that there will be no "adjustment" to the pay of House or Senate members during fiscal 2011, despite the law that would otherwise provide for a cost of living adjustment in line with inflation.