Monday, NFFE National President William R. Dougan wrote a letter to members of the United States Senate asking them to exclude a number of misguided proposals that would have a serious impact on the size, compensation, and ultimately, the mission of the federal workforce.
The full text of the letter is copied below:
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the National Federation of Federal Employees and the 110,000 federal employees our union represents throughout the United States and abroad, I am writing to urge you, in considering the Senate Budget Resolution, to oppose the drastic cuts to federal employee pay and benefits offered in House Budget Resolution, H. Con. Res 34, by Representative Ryan and the Deficit Commission. Both proposals seek to extend the two year pay freeze federal employees are already facing, as well as reduce the workforce by 10 percent and increase employee pension contributions. These types of cuts will produce minimal savings, but will have a tremendously harmful effect on hardworking federal employees throughout the country.
The Deficit Commission’s plans and Representative Ryan’s budget are misguided and irresponsible attempts to place our nation’s deficit squarely and unfairly on the backs of federal employees. Considering the increase in contributions to FERS, the pay freeze, and the change of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program into a voucher system, the average federal worker will face a pay cut of 6.7 percent in the first year these proposals are introduced. Within five years, federal employees will have suffered a decrease in pay of 14 percent. In ten years, a decrease of 22 percent.
While federal employee compensation and benefits contribute to just 6 percent of the federal budget, the proposals offered by Representative Ryan and the Deficit Commission make up 11 percent of the total deficit reduction measures. This is not shared sacrifice. If the suggested proposals are implemented, the federal deficit will see only a 2 percent reduction, at an exponentially higher cost of forcing experienced federal employees who secure our borders, care for our veterans and provide the innumerable other services American have come to depend on out of the civil service.
We must stand together now in defense of federal employees. We simply cannot continue blaming our dedicated civil service for the nation’s deficit and forcing them to bare an unfair majority of the burden to reduce it. I ask you to oppose these imprudent proposals and refuse their inclusion in the Senate Budget Resolution.
Sincerely,
William R. Dougan
National President