Democrats, unions say push to freeze federal pay is demoralizing workforce

Ongoing efforts to freeze or cut federal pay to help control U.S. spending are demoralizing and bad for recruitment, according to Democratic lawmakers and unions.

Senate Republicans last week failed to amend a jobs bill with a proposal to pay for the measure by freezing federal worker salaries and capping the number of federal employees. The proposal, pushed by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), was the latest GOP attempt to pay down the deficit by zeroing in on federal salaries and benefits and other spending on government operations.

"In these challenging economic times, private employers are having to tighten their belts, and the federal government is no different," Thune said in a statement supporting his amendment. "Washington has a spending problem and steps need to be taken to fix it. Reining in the amount we spend on government operations has to be a part of the solution."

Thune's proposal would have permitted federal agencies to give bonuses and pay increases if they didn't exceed 2009 funding levels for salaries, a provision considered reasonable by co-sponsor Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).

"Shouldn't we just say, 'Okay, time out, no increases except for stellar performance in the federal government until we get our house in order'?" Coburn asked.

But Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) -- who speaks each week from the Senate floor to honor rank-and-file federal workers -- said federal employees work "for substantially less pay than the same job in the private sector and with considerably more at stake. As I have said before, there are no Wall Street bonuses, and there is rarely ever recognition for hard work."

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), whose Northern Virginia district is home to at least 70,000 federal workers, called the Republican proposals "a cheap shot."

"Every time that happens, it has a demoralizing impact on the federal workforce and frankly discourages young people from joining the federal workforce," Connolly said in an interview. "Treating them like a punching bag may make for a good story back home, but it's really a long-term cost to the very people we're trying to serve."

John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said Republicans were "wrong to put a burden on this politically convenient group of employees who perform such important work for the American public every day."

"Any efforts to freeze federal pay to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or for general deficit reduction, amount to imposing a special tax increase on just one group of people when all Americans must pay their fair share to fund government operations," Gage said.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, called the proposals "an ideological response that will end up costing the government more money for less quality," because capping the number of federal workers would lead to increased use of costly government contractors.

Gage and Kelley also noted that President Obama has requested a modest 1.4 percent pay raise for civilian federal workers.

Coburn spokesman John Hart, asked about the concern that calls for cuts are demoralizing to federal workers, said: "Every family in America is making hard choices. If the politicians and unions who are complaining get their way in the short term, they'll be facing far more painful choices down the road."

Coburn will continue to introduce amendments to freeze federal pay, but Thune currently has no plans to do so, according to their spokesmen.