According to Erik Wasson over at The Hill more than 20 federal and postal worker union wrote to Congress on
Tuesday asking them not to cut worker pay and benefits to divert the “fiscal
cliff.”
The Federal-Postal Coalition
letter claims that federal workers have contributed $103 billion to deficit
reductions: $60 billion from a two-year pay freeze, $28 billion from a delayed
2013 pay increase, and $15 billion in increased retirement contributions for
new hires. The letter calls for the nation’s leaders to find other ways to
reduce the deficit than to take away from those who have dedicated their lives
to public service.
Republicans have looked into
extending the pay freeze for three more years, and place limits on new hiring.
The unions are suggesting that Congress limit pay for contractors, which are
currently capped at $763,029 per year. The unions proposed it be capped at
$230,700. The government has been able to get around hiring people and using
contractors because of the pay rates.
The unions are looking to
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and top budget negotiator Rep Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD) to protect federal workers from cuts. At this point the negotiators are
trying to put together a fiscal-cliff down payment to avoid the $109 billion in
a sudden and indiscriminate “sequester” cuts that loom in January. Mandatory
spending like farm subsidies and veterans’ health benefits are on the table as
are federal worker pay and benefits.
