A couple of days ago Congress held hearings on pay and benefits of federal workers. NAGE was paying close attention to the hearing and the distorted picture it painted. President Holway has issued a statement on the hearing which addresses some of our concerns.

The following statement was issued by NAGE National President David J. Holway in response to the March 10 hearing by the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy titled “Are Federal Employees Underpaid?”

"Studies presented by the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and Republican members of the Subcommittee at the March 10 hearing repeated the false claim that federal workers are paid more than comparable workers in the private sector. These claims ignore the fact that in many cases federal workers are better educated and perform more complex jobs than their private sector counterparts. "

"Public researchers, doctors and nurses fighting disease, engineers, scientists, police officers at military installations and on our borders are all jobs vital to the public’s safety, health and welfare. The studies compare vitally important jobs such as these with private sector entry-level workers and arrive at a grossly distorted picture of federal compensation."

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics and OPM have been gathering pay data for decades. Their analysis compares private and government jobs with similar educational needs and levels of responsibilities. Comparisons of like jobs showed that federal workers are paid 22 percent less than workers in the private sector."

"The nation has dealt with high deficits and debt in the past. Yet, ultra-conservative think tanks, politicians and media are now using federal workers as a political punching bag by linking federal workers’ pay to the current budget deficit."

"NAGE recognizes the nation’s legitimate budget and deficit concerns. We welcome the opportunity to have an honest debate on workers’ pay and benefits. Unfortunately, the federal workforce, its pay, benefits, and size, have been the target of unjustified criticism based on misleading information. These dishonest political attacks on America’s federal employees do not advance the debate and serve our nation very poorly. NAGE stands ready to help create productive solutions to our nation’s problems."