Pay Raise Parity With the Military, While in a War?

The President’s 2010 proposed budget calls for a 2 percent pay raise cap for federal civilian workers and a 2.9 percent pay raise cap for our military.

Well, it seems that all hell has broken lose with some federal employees unions.

Some federal employees and unions are unhappy about, according to the Washington Post, “The lack of movement toward closing the pay gap between government workers and those in the private sector .”

OK, perhaps there is some merit in their desire to close “the gap” with the private sector, albeit during our severe economic and financial crisis, one would think that they would lower their sights a little bit and wait for better times.

And, one union, the American Federation of Government Employees—the largest federal employee union—had just such a reaction. In a statement released by the union, the very first line said, again according to the Post:

“The American Federation of Government Employees today applauded the Obama Administration’s 2010 fiscal budget.” And, AFGE President John Gage went on to say the union ‘is not happy- with the recommended pay increase, but ‘understands it given the severity of our nation’s economic situation.’”

Not so for the National Federation of Federal Employees. Richard N. Brown, its president, had this to say:

We are baffled by the large disparity in the proposed pay adjustments for civilian federal workers and military personnel…There is a long tradition of pay parity between civilians and the military, and we believe that tradition should be continued.

And then, according to the Post, the line of attack: “We will be asking Congress for a bigger raise than 2 percent.”

I am a retired military, and the military pay cap also applies to my retired pay. In view of our economic crisis, I perfectly understand and am perfectly willing to accept a lower raise in retirement pay. In fact, considering the crisis, a zero percent raise would be fine with me. But this is purely a personal situation opinion. Heaven knows what dire straits so many of our veterans find themselves in these days.

I do regret the lower-than-usual pay raise for our active duty military and I wish it was more. If anyone deserves to be exempt from any belt-tightening measures, it is our military.

However, what I regret even more is this attitude by some that there should be “parity” between pay adjustments for civilian federal workers and military personnel in a time of war.

Let these civilian federal workers deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, then perhaps I could have some sympathy with their whining for “parity” under present circumstances.

Give me a break. Give our brave troops a break. At the very minimum, a .9 percent break.

For the full story, go here.