President Paves Way for 17% Federal Pay Raise

[MayB2]

The Hell you say!

Last night President Obama announced in his State of the Union Address that he will be signing an Executive Order directing all Federal CONTRACT Employees be paid a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour.

While this doesn't directly effect Federal Employee Salaries it could once AFGE and the other Federal Employee Unions realize that base pay for a GS-1 Step 1 is only $8.62! To bring GS-1/1 up to the $10.10 you are looking at a whopping 17% increase.

Now of course we can't have a GS-1 making more than a GS-2 so the GS-2 will also need a 17% raise. And the GS-2 can't make more than a GS-3 etc., etc., etc.

While I am from Mars I don't really harbor any delusions of actually seeing a 17% pay raise. But it is ironic that a 17% pay raise would almost close the gap between Military Pay and Civilian Pay that has been growing over the past 20 years.

Since COLA adjustments are added to the Base Pay table it is far more plausible that the Rest of US pay table could be adjusted for this "Income Inequality". In which case we could see a 2.64% pay raise in order to bring the GS-1/1 RUS from $9.84 to $10.10.

Since QE wasn't able to jump start inflation maybe "closing the pay gap" by arbitrarily giving everyone a raise will. What shall we call it? "III" for Income Inequality Initiative or how about just simply "MeMeMe".

[MSR]

Being a Vet and having many buddy's that are currently unhappy about the COLA reduction I am not happy about what has happened to them in the budget deal. I am also equally non-plussed how people run around saying that Federal Workers don't pay much for their retirement pensions compared to the private sector. This sort of language conjours all manner of flights of fantasy about the reality of Government pensions. Especially since most of us are FERS. The initial plan was to take 12 Billion from us. I am thankful to be employed, but I am employed. The reality is that are also taxpayers and abhor Government waste. Man I hate politics.

[Scarfinger]

From what I can tell the only GS 1 are working in the active duty services Army, Navy or maybe students. The VA doesn't seem to have any GS 1. I found a "recreational tech" positoon listed for the US army for 5.00 to 7.50 an hour for example.

VA Low skilled jobs for the little bit of reseach I have done start out in the GS 2 level (housekeepers and techs). As you prgress up the GS levesl the gaps between them increase so I am not sure if it would actually increase all the steps.

When the minimum wage is increased for the private side does it actually get incteased for the Government side?

Interesting.

[Relevant]

I'm guessing this post is a bit tongue-in-cheek but I think the point is that all of the pay rates in the GS pay scale are relative. You could not make a change to any single grade or step without adjusting all of the other grades and steps proportionally.

There aren't many GS-1's, as a matter of fact I've only known 1 in my 33 years of service, but the population of the GS-1 or GS-2 community is irrelevant because of the relative relationship across all pay grades.

[maui21ice]

With only getting a 1% raise this year for the first time in a while, I would bet more money on Brett Favre replacing Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl this weekend then us getting a 17% raise soon. I'm not a big fan of minimum wage boosts anymore. Yeah maybe I was in college when I worked at a minimum wage joint, but seeing how it will jump the rest of the prices of products all over the country, doesn't sit well with me and it cancels out the pay raise.

[BBBInvest]

I agree, I do not see us getting any legitimate pay raises anytime soon.