Biden Gives Federal Workers Largest Pay Raise In Over 40 Years

[Flash]

Election year coming up so lets give the already overpaid government union workers more money to funnel to the Democrat Party.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

It’s easy to bash federal workers and use the worst abuses to define the entire workforce but many are unpolitical professionals including scientists, foreign policy experts etc who work hard to make systems run smoothly so we aren’t even aware of it. For example, the career civil service that collects and organizes data for briefings, does all the groundwork for an international event, makes sure that the political appointees do not commit any major faux pas, and that is just in the foreign service.

While I get that there are abuses in the system, I don’t think people realize that a) these are people like any people with a job to do and a family to feed, working all around the country and b) you are most likely a beneficiary of their work without even realizing it. In an era when Congress is incompetent and gridlocked and partisan, these people manage to keep things running in spite of it.

Teleworking, from an employers point of view, can often save money in maintenance or rental physical space, utilities, etc. for jobs that aren’t dependent on a physical presence. So…why bash that?

The other thing is that every tine they get an increase…people bitch. But their salary, particularly in upper level professional fields, is not competing with the private sector and in fact, the pay gap is widening.

In recent years, data comparing federal government and private sector compensation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics had indicated that the gap has slowly trended downward, with federal workers earning 22.47% less on average than private sector workers in similar jobs in 2021. But this year, the pay disparity spiked to 24.09%.​

It’s easy to point to the abuses and waste in the system, and we all likely know of some examples. When I worked at NASA, 34 years ago, the director of our unit, a political appointee, was a complete buffoon who played video games on his computer during work. Being a political appointee, there wasn’t much you could do about it and it was thanks to the professionals under him, who were serious about their mission, that things got done.

The other thing many don’t realize is that many of the rules that make it hard to fire civil servants also means it is harder to fire people for political reasons and replace them with political people every time a new administration comes into power. Imagine the loss of expertise and institutional and project memory that would be lost and have to be rebuilt every four years? ( and btw, I don’t believe in the Deep State crap…it’s an excuse completely politicize the civil service).


All that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues to address, but they deserve a pay raise like any other professional and when you have such a pay gap, you struggle to attract good people. It shouldn’t be pitched as a Social Security vs Federal Workers issue either. Both need increases and it isn’t a zero sum equation.

Excellent commentary, thank you.

Yes, it is easy to bash the fed. I think it's largely for good reason.

This is a poor example, but it comes to the top of my head and is indicative of rampant waste.

I have noticed that every federal agency not only has their own web page, and they also have a staff of people to manage numerous social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram...

Example:

<===Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin

The White House alone has a social media team consisting of over 70 people [Source Link].

There is waste everywhere you look.

Dr. Rand Paul Releases 2023 ‘Festivus’ Report on Government Waste

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released his 2023 “Festivus” Report, totaling ~$900,000,000,000 in government waste.

www.paul.senate.gov

Regards,
Jim

 

[Flash]

It’s easy to bash federal workers and use the worst abuses to define the entire workforce but many are unpolitical professionals including scientists, foreign policy experts etc who work hard to make systems run smoothly so we aren’t even aware of it. For example, the career civil service that collects and organizes data for briefings, does all the groundwork for an international event, makes sure that the political appointees do not commit any major faux pas, and that is just in the foreign service.

While I get that there are abuses in the system, I don’t think people realize that a) these are people like any people with a job to do and a family to feed, working all around the country and b) you are most likely a beneficiary of their work without even realizing it. In an era when Congress is incompetent and gridlocked and partisan, these people manage to keep things running in spite of it.

Teleworking, from an employers point of view, can often save money in maintenance or rental physical space, utilities, etc. for jobs that aren’t dependent on a physical presence. So…why bash that?

The other thing is that every tine they get an increase…people bitch. But their salary, particularly in upper level professional fields, is not competing with the private sector and in fact, the pay gap is widening.

In recent years, data comparing federal government and private sector compensation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics had indicated that the gap has slowly trended downward, with federal workers earning 22.47% less on average than private sector workers in similar jobs in 2021. But this year, the pay disparity spiked to 24.09%.​

It’s easy to point to the abuses and waste in the system, and we all likely know of some examples. When I worked at NASA, 34 years ago, the director of our unit, a political appointee, was a complete buffoon who played video games on his computer during work. Being a political appointee, there wasn’t much you could do about it and it was thanks to the professionals under him, who were serious about their mission, that things got done.

The other thing many don’t realize is that many of the rules that make it hard to fire civil servants also means it is harder to fire people for political reasons and replace them with political people every time a new administration comes into power. Imagine the loss of expertise and institutional and project memory that would be lost and have to be rebuilt every four years? ( and btw, I don’t believe in the Deep State crap…it’s an excuse completely politicize the civil service).


All that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues to address, but they deserve a pay raise like any other professional and when you have such a pay gap, you struggle to attract good people. It shouldn’t be pitched as a Social Security vs Federal Workers issue either. Both need increases and it isn’t a zero sum equation.

The US Federal government is a bloated inefficient monstrosity that needs to be reduced by at least half.

These workers you love so much don't do anything of real value. Most of the workers belong to filthy ass unions that are a cash cow to the despicable Democrat Party.

Potatohead is kissing their asses in an upcoming election year to get them to give the Democrats more money and we taxpayers have to foot the bill.

 

[Mac-7]

Social security recipients should have gotten the same increase

Why?

If inflation is under control ad libs claim then gov workers dont need a raise

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

it's just keeping up with Bidenomics Inflation

 

[mudwhistle]

Biden signed an EO to give federal workers an average pay raise starting in January of 5.2%

Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay | The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted...

www.whitehouse.gov

Biden signs order finalizing 5.2% pay raise for feds in 2024

The measure confirms that the federal workforce will see its largest pay increase in more than 40 years.

www.govexec.com

This is after a 4.6% pay raise in 2023...

Here are the actual pay raises federal employees will see in 2023, depending on their location

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Dec. 23 to make the average 4.6% federal pay raise official for civilian employees. But the exact raise you get depends on where you work.

federalnewsnetwork.com

"Despite the fact that federal agencies are still operating without a full budget, Biden’s order cements the pay raise for 2024. Unless Congress quibbles with Biden’s figure in another CR or in the Financial Services and General Government bill, the pay raise defers to the President’s authority."

Federal employees cleared for 5.2% pay raise in 2024

It’s the largest base pay increase since the Carter administration nearly 40 years ago.

www.federaltimes.com

Most federal workers still work from home part time...

Most Federal Employees Are Still Teleworking | FedSmith.com

The 2023 FEVS results show that most federal employees are still teleworking after the pandemic.

www.fedsmith.com

Meanwhile, social security recipients will get a 3.2% cost of living adjustment in 2024 while the costs of food, shelter and energy have skyrocketed.

Biden sure is good at spending other people's money. The bloated fed balloons further.

Weird.....they've been putting off their pay increase for about a decade.
Obama fucked us out of pay increases all of the time when I was working for the Dept of the Army. If we got any it would always only be about 40% of the 3% and then he gave the rest of our pay increase to somebody else.

I remember when Jimmy Carter gave us active-duty members the biggest pay increase in our history and he still couldn't get re-elected.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Awwwww, you jelli fuckup.

Even after asking an eight-year-old to explain your childish comment, I have no clue.

If you were making a point, please use English next time.

And I would be happy to compare and contrast my personal lifetime accomplishments with your own. You start.

 

[Lisa558]

I would like to see an across-the-board hiring freeze at the fed, letting attrition shrink the fed in a tolerable, painless way.

A 10% across-the-board cut would be more desirable, but that would not be politically viable.

My limited experience dealing with the fed indicates that they are bloated, slow, and provide sub-par services.

Long overdue to trim the fat.

Biden fails to realize that the fed produces very little - it is generally a burdensome overhead function which drains funds from private businesses which actually produce things.

The Republicans often talk about limiting Big Government, I doubt they will stop this in an election year.

They also only go into work once a week, and complain about even that.

 

[Coyote]

Excellent commentary, thank you.

Yes, it is easy to bash the fed. I think it's largely for good reason.

This is a poor example, but it comes to the top of my head and is indicative of rampant waste.

I have noticed that every federal agency not only has their own web page, and they also have a staff of people to manage numerous social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram...

Example:

View attachment 879374<===Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin

The White House alone has a social media team consisting of over 70 people [Source Link].

There is waste everywhere you look.

Dr. Rand Paul Releases 2023 ‘Festivus’ Report on Government Waste

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released his 2023 “Festivus” Report, totaling ~$900,000,000,000 in government waste.

www.paul.senate.gov

Regards,
Jim

Well, almost everyone is turning to Social Media and webpages for outreach. We are struggling where I work in finding ways to reach people, specifically students, and let people know what we are doing. Flyers and mailings and e-mail too are largely a thing of the past. I am not so sure that is a waste as much as an incompetent use of resources (and isn’t stuff like this the very definition of bureaucracy? )

 

[otto105]

Weird.....they've been putting off their pay increase for about a decade.
Obama fucked us out of pay increases all of the time when I was working for the Dept of the Army. If we got any it would always only be about 40% of the 3% and then he gave the rest of our pay increase to somebody else.

I remember when Jimmy Carter gave us active-duty members the biggest pay increase in our history and he still couldn't get re-elected.

It wasn’t President Obama that kept pay raises from federal workers. It was a Congress that worked to starve government.

 

[mudwhistle]

Well, almost everyone is turning to Social Media and webpages for outreach. We are struggling where I work in finding ways to reach people, specifically students, and let people know what we are doing. Flyers and mailings and e-mail too are largely a thing of the past. I am not so sure that is a waste as much as an incompetent use of resources (and isn’t stuff like this the very definition of bureaucracy? )

Well, if you turn everyone into Karens and turn our kids into professional shoplifters it's going to be hard to find somebody who wants to work for a living.

 

[Coyote]

The US Federal government is a bloated inefficient monstrosity that needs to be reduced by at least half.

These workers you love so much don't do anything of real value. Most of the workers belong to filthy ass unions that are a cash cow to the despicable Democrat Party.

Potatohead is kissing their asses in an upcoming election year to get them to give the Democrats more money and we taxpayers have to foot the bill.

Those workers also make sure you get your social security check, ensure the safety and integrity of the food you buy, work with farmers to improve agricultural practices and conduct research to treat rare diseases that aren’t profitable enough for big Pharma.

 

[boevans]

Good for the workers.

 

[Coyote]

I would like to see an across-the-board hiring freeze at the fed, letting attrition shrink the fed in a tolerable, painless way.

A 10% across-the-board cut would be more desirable, but that would not be politically viable.

My limited experience dealing with the fed indicates that they are bloated, slow, and provide sub-par services.

Long overdue to trim the fat.

Biden fails to realize that the fed produces very little - it is generally a burdensome overhead function which drains funds from private businesses which actually produce things.

The Republicans often talk about limiting Big Government, I doubt they will stop this in an election year.

I think across the board is the worst way of doing things…it is the most damaging. Look for ineffiencies and redundancy and go from there. Some units may already be bare bones and others bloated.

 

[Coyote]

They deserve it more than government workers.

Why?

 

[Edgetho]

dimocrap scum have one (1) business model. One. One (1) only --

They steal money from people who work for it and give to people who vote dimocrap.

 

[Coyote]

LOL.....It went up $50.00.....Medicare went up $49.00.

Thanks Biden.

Biden has nothing to do with Social Security increases. SS gets an automatic increase and I believe changing that requires an act of Congress.

 

[Coyote]

Meanwhile qualified nurses and doctors wanting to immigrate can't due to Biden's FUBAR immigration visa backlogs.

Eligible foreign-trained nurses are not currently receiving their immigrant visas because unprecedented processing delays at U.S. embassies and consulates have resulted in a failure to issue immigrant visas. - American Hospital Assoc.

It was blamed on the covid at the time (2021) but has not got any better....In fact it's worse due to bureaucratic hurdles and delays.

So how is that on Biden? Who funds these agencies?

 

[Flash]

Those workers also make sure you get your social security check, ensure the safety and integrity of the food you buy, work with farmers to improve agricultural practices and conduct research to treat rare diseases that aren’t profitable enough for big Pharma.

You dumb Moon Bat.

The Federal government is bloated with welfare and entitlements and yes the shitheads are the ones handing out the dole but we don't need them.

The Federal government should be reduced to Defense, courts, state department, border patrol, treasury for printing currency and few other agencies like the Patent Office. All those worthless alphabet agencies need to be abolished.

We don't need any welfare, grants, subsidies, entitlements or bailouts. We need to phase out Social Security and Medicare.

We are $33 trillion in debt on top of the filthy ass Feds spending $7.3 trillion this year with two trillion of that in debt and that is way too much.

The only reason the goddamn Democrats are kissing the Federal worker's ass with a pay raise is because of an election year.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Excellent commentary, thank you.

Yes, it is easy to bash the fed. I think it's largely for good reason.

This is a poor example, but it comes to the top of my head and is indicative of rampant waste.

I have noticed that every federal agency not only has their own web page, and they also have a staff of people to manage numerous social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram...

Example:

View attachment 879374<===Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin

The White House alone has a social media team consisting of over 70 people [Source Link].

There is waste everywhere you look.

Dr. Rand Paul Releases 2023 ‘Festivus’ Report on Government Waste

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released his 2023 “Festivus” Report, totaling ~$900,000,000,000 in government waste.

www.paul.senate.gov

Regards,
Jim

Many of the people that do social media for an agency also do many other things, it is not their primary job. I have a friend that works for the USDA, one of his many duties in putting out tweets about upcoming surveys and the results of surveys as well as updating FB and responding comments on both. He maybe spends about 20% of his time doing this depending on the time of the year