To The Editor:
Publisher Art Hall, in the Sept. 28 edition wrote that in the last three decades, our elected officials nationwide increased the average total compensation of government workers to $39.60 per hour versus $27.42 for private industry, a 44 percent differential. He doesn’t say from what source he received his information, but I can cite some statistics, which apply to federal government employees.
For example, there exists in Washington, D.C. a non-partisan governmental board called the President’s “pay agent,” which annually compares rates of federal pay to non-federal pay. Their report found that federal employees are paid 22 percent less than their private sector counterparts. And, it’s important to note, that more than 84 percent of federal employees work outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Some of these employees ensure that our food is safe to eat; others that our air is safe to breathe. Some spend their days working to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
All active federal employees are working under a two-year pay freeze, meaning no pay raises during that time period. The projected savings from this pay freeze will be $5 billion. They are doing their part to help bring the national deficit into balance. Even in light of this, certain people still want to make government workers the scapegoat in a political battle over a budget and an economic crisis for which they are not responsible.
CORNELIUS MAXWELL SR.
Wildwood
(ED. NOTE: Maxwell is secretary of Chapter 1197 National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.)
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