Federal Employees get Raises, but We All Need Money Now
Heven’t they Heard we have a Recession On?
When many people need money now, a report by USA Today about federal salaries shows a huge increase in the number of federal employees making over 6 figures. Looking at the numbers, it would seem that these workers are not feeling the effects of the recession at all.
Employees that used to make $ 100,000 or more got an increase between 14 and 19 percent, and that’s before bonuses or overtime. That’s an awful lot of money for those that already are well off – and at a time when more people are hurting than ever.
And the Rich Get …Well, You Know the Rest
The number of civilian employees in the Defense Department earning $ 150,000 salaries increased from 1,868 at the end of 2007 to 10,100 in June of the current year. This news can be hard to swallow at a time when millions of Americans have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meets. Many of those people would love to be working but just cannot find even a basic job.
Conversely, federal hires have been increasing over the last few months. In the last 18 months, the Transportation Department has bumped 1,689 people to over $ 170,000 – compared to only ONE person earning that before now.
But does it End There?
Perhaps this would be easier to stomach if this were the extent of it. The truth is that the entire federal government is raising salaries, which is asinine considering we have a record deficit and debt. Six figure salaries are less common in these areas. Meanwhile in the rest of the country we desperately need money now.
How Do They Explain it?
According to government affairs director for the Federal Managers Association, Jessica Klement, these government employees are working in areas that require a great deal of training and skill, and they are working for far less than they would make at similar private jobs. The USA Today reports that Klement said these workers, according to Klement, made 26 percent less than counterparts in the private sector.
Is this Bogus?
USA Today went on to assess the federal worker salary data from the Office of Personnel Management (excluding workers in the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, intelligence agencies and uniformed military personnel). The study found the average private sector salary was $ 41, 331, and average federal pay was $ 71, 206.
Shocking, but True
For the majority of Americans who really need money now, this is going to be some tough news to hear. The last administration approved raises of 3 percent in January of 2008, and 3.9 percent in January of 2009 across the board for federal employees. The recommendation of President Obama is to take this down to 2 percent for the beginning of 2010, which may still sound high but is actually the lowest increase since 1975. These hikes,among other raises and some modified pay systems, have contributed to these amazing salary increases.