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                         November 16, 2001

It's final: Feds to get 4.6 percent raise in 2002

By Irene Brown
Editor

President Bush signed the 2002 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill Monday giving federal workers an average 4.6 percent pay raise in January.

The signing came as a surprise to many federal employee organization officials since the administration had proposed 3.6 percent in its February budget and had been supporting that figure all year.

"Our problem with the 3.6 percent figure," said Bobby Harnage, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee’s union, "was that it ended two decades of pay parity with the military."

Senator John Warner and other members of Congress lobbied for the higher raise stating that "military and civilian personnel should get roughly the same basic pay raises." Military personnel will get the same base increase of 4.6 percent next year, but that will be coupled with targeted increases boosting their overall raises to between 5 and 10 percent.

Although the administration said it would decide later how the raise would be divided, the general consensus is that employees would receive a 3.6 percent across-the-board increase with the remaining 1 percent divided up among localities. For example, employees here will more than likely get higher raises than those who work in small metropolitan areas like Charleston, N.C.

The more than $17 billion Treasury-Postal spending bill includes other provisions that affect federal workers:

Members of Congress will receive a 3.4 percent raise, which in turn will raise the salary cap on Senior Executive Service salaries.

Agencies will receive permanent authority to offer childcare subsidies to low-income employees.

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will provide coverage for contraceptives, but not abortions (except in limited cases such as rape, incest or where the life of the mother is in danger).

Senior government professionals will have a new awards program mirroring the Presidential Rank Awards for SES members.

The General Services Administration will begin a 60-day telework pilot program targeting employees whose jobs can be done from a telecenter.

The mandatory retirement age of air traffic controllers (now 56) will be extended depending on how many years the controller has served.

"We are pleased the administration signed the bill and continued the tradition of pay parity," said Michael Styles, national president of the Federal Managers Association. "In these trying times, it’s good to see the administration supporting federal workers."