The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation's largest federal employee union, has outlined some compensation issues President Obama can address through executive orders to improve the federal government's workforce.
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"These are concrete actions President Obama can take right now to address inequalities that currently exist in the federal workforce …., said AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr.
The list includes:
- Align locality boundaries so hourly and salaried federal employees who work in the same location are treated the same when it comes drawing local pay area boundaries. No private firm that pays geographic pay differentials treats its hourly and salaried employees differently in this respect and the federal government should follow suit. The disparate treatment of federal workers who work side-by-side for the same employer is unfair and unproductive.
- Immediately stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from downgrading low-wage positions, many of which go to veterans and disabled veterans. These downgrades, dubbed a "reclassification" by the agency, cut thousands of dollars annually from already paltry salaries, and when applied to current workers, cause reductions in salary and retirement benefits and degrade services to veterans.
- Ensure that the administration is ready to issue a rule to implement the statutory reduction in the annual cap on taxpayer subsidies on contractor compensation. In June, the cap will be reduced to $487,000 assuming the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council has issued the necessary rule.