FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cory Bythrow, Communications Director
Phone: (202) 216-4458
Washington, D.C. – In response to the release of the White House budget today, which includes an increase in the amount federal workers pay toward their pensions and the elimination of the FERS Annuity Supplement for new workers, National Federation of Federal Employees National President William R. Dougan issued the following statement:
“It’s clear today that Washington has abandoned federal employees.
We’ve already seen three consecutive years of frozen pay, a quadrupling in the amount new workers pay toward their pensions, and now painful furloughs scheduled for the majority of the federal workforce. Yet this budget asks federal workers to take another 1.2% cut to their take-home pay by increasing employee retirement contributions yet again; it reduces Social Security benefits by moving to a chained CPI; and it eliminates the FERS annuity supplement for federal employees. This triple whammy of retirement cuts will make it incredibly difficult for federal workers to secure their retirement.
Though we applaud the President for requesting a one percent pay adjustment next year, it falls dramatically short of what is needed to keep hundreds of thousands of federal families above water. The overwhelming majority of federal workers live outside of the Washington, D.C. area, in big cities and small town all across America. They’re victims of a down economy just like any other American. Yet they’ve been singled out by politicians on both sides of the aisle time and time again. Federal workers have already sacrificed over $100 billion to reduce the deficit, but now they’re being asked to pitch in another $35 billion. When is enough, enough?
We expect certain politicians to make federal workers the scapegoat of first resort. But for the Administration to perpetuate the idea that federal employees haven’t sacrificed enough is absolutely unacceptable. The White House has said time and time again that they value the contributions federal workers make to their country, but this budget tells a different story entirely. With friends like these, who needs enemies?”
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Established in 1917, the National Federation of Federal Employees is the oldest union representing civil service federal employees. NFFE represents approximately 110,000 federal employees in nearly 40 separate departments and agencies government-wide. NFFE is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO. For more information, go to www.nffe.org.