January 13, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) is calling on Congress to pass the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, which will provide federal employees with an average pay raise of 5.1% in 2023. The legislation was introduced today by Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) in the House, along with a corresponding bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).
“NFFE-IAM has been pushing for larger pay increases since federal employees were given only a 1% raise for 2021,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “Thanks to the Biden Administration alone, employees will receive a 2.7% raise this year, which is much better than 2021, but Congress must do more. To attract and retain the most qualified personnel, the federal government must increase employee salaries to keep pace with inflation and cost of living. A 5.1% increase should be the minimum for 2023 after modest increases in both 2021 and 2022.”
If passed, the FAIR Act will raise civil servant basic pay by 4.1% government-wide, along with an average of a 1% increase to locality pay. The bill has already garnered support from ten Senators and eight cosponsors in the House of Representatives.
“For the better part of two years, federal employees have been on the frontlines in the fight against COVID and forced to endure significant obstacles due to the pandemic,” continued President Erwin. “Meanwhile, rising costs of living and inflation have devalued their pay and benefits. It is about time that we recognize our nation’s hardest workers with a well-deserved and necessary pay increase. The FAIR act should be passed quickly through Congress to ensure the employees who keep this country running every day are taken care of in 2023.”