A couple of questions about the federal employee pay freeze . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

How many Obama appointees make more than $150K? Will they see a freeze . . . or better yet, a pay cut?

The radio today said this freeze will save a whopping $3B this year and $28B over the next ten years.

The next ten years?????? I thought this was a two year freeze.

[Skittles]

1. the freeze comes first

the pay CUTS come next

[fishwax]

2. such a freeze continues to "save" money even after it is unfrozen

since salaries will then increase from the point they were frozen instead of the point where they would be if they hadn't been frozen. I don't know if that's where they got the $28B figure, but I'd guess.

[Common Sense Party]

6. Not just salaries, but defined benefit pension plans.

It's all about the pensions.

[bettyellen]

3. i thought the extra saving was accumulated from the levelling in pay for teo years

although they will still get scheduled raises and bonuses, just not the COLA on top of that.

[MissB]

4. Multiply out the savings of holding back salaries for two years

over a ten year period you may get to that figure.

Let's say the government has 10 pay steps in each grade. This means that if a person starts out at the first grade, they'll take 10 years (assuming one pay step/year) to reach the top of their grade. If they're frozen for two years, then they'll take 12 years to top out. (Once people top out, they generally rely on COLAs to increase their wage, or move up to a different grade if they qualify).

I don't know if the federal government contributes to a worker's pension fund or if the worker has to contribute, but if the federal government is making any sort of contribution, I would think it would be a percentage of the salary. So if the salaries are held back, the federal government's pension contribution is held down as well.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. As I wrote (and nobody believes)

It's a pay cut, tens of thousands of dollars per employee over time:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x536096

[TheDebbieDee]

7. How many federal employees make more $150,000 a year?

Does anybody here remember 2 or three years ago when conservatives were attacking the greed of UAW members for their $70 and $80/hour jobs?!?!?! The $70/hour UAW job was a lie.........perpetrated by those that wanted to lower UAW wages even further.

And I strongly suspect that the number of $150,000 a year federal worker is greatly exaggerated! I'm a federal worker, I work hard and I make a hair more than $36,000 year.

[Hawkowl]

8. Mostly veteran DOCTORS

I heard on the radio (Peter B. subbing for Norman Goldman) that the number of workers making over $150K doubled under Obama. BECAUSE THEY ARE MOSTLY DOCTORS TREATING THE WOUNDED VETERANS!!! So, Obama's brilliant move can be spun as undercutting the troops.