Legislation has been introduced in Congress to give the federal workforce a 3.2% pay raise next year.
The bill, known as the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act is sponsored by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).
The legislation arrives at the 3.2% figure by taking the difference between last year’s 5.3% request and what federal workers ultimately got in 2017 (2.1%). Connolly says this wage adjustment restores years of lost wage increases to federal employees.
In a statement on the legislation, Connolly said:
They’ve [federal employees] endured shutdowns and furloughs, attacks on pay and benefits, and an across-the-board hiring freeze. Their hard work was questioned. Now, thanks to the Armageddon Rule, even individual positions could be on the congressional chopping block.
This is no way to treat a workforce. The FAIR Act is a matter of justice. Federal employees work hard, serve honorably, and they deserve fair compensation.
Companion legislation has also been introduced in the Senate by Brian Schatz (D-HI). Both bills would give federal workers a 3.2% pay raise.
Schatz has introduced similar legislation in the past. Last March, for example, he followed Gerry Connolly’s lead and introduced a bill that would have provided a 5.3% pay raise for the federal workforce in 2017.
AFGE had also pushed for a higher pay raise in 2017, saying that federal employees should receive a 5.3% pay raise.
Despite the efforts of both lawmakers and the union, federal employees ultimately got an average 2.1% pay raise in 2017.