Return to Article: Pay freeze affects nearly one-third of White House staff
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83763
Freezing salaries at $100,000? Let me compare how I fared as a local law enforcement officer and now as a fed LEO...Lets see, I now pay 8x more in health insurance, without dental & optical. I also have to pay larger life insurance premiums. Additionally, when I was previously able to retire at 50% of my salary after 20 years, now I have to leave at the age of 57 and collect 37% of my high three. Oh, did I also mention that I also have to pay for liability insurance in case I get sued? By the way, I work on a task force where the locals can make more than $100,000, with overtime that the FEDS are helping to fund...and their benefits are comparable to those of Congress...so $100,000 is relative...and only looks good on paper.
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82301
One way to save money would be to ensure that members of Congress, all the way to the President, no longer get a free ride on healthcare. They pay NOTHING!
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82000
Those of us who worked in the federal government during the Reagan Administration in the 1980s received a pay freeze one year (zero per cent COLA), and low COLAs in other years, despite rising costs of living. At the time, we were told it was done to help the nation's economy. We wouldn't have minded if everyone else also sacrificed for the common good, but when we looked around, we were the only ones who were doing so!
The same principle applies now. I don't mind doing my part, and sharing the pain, but I don't think it's fair to be the only one to do so.
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81986
BOQ, the barracks, or government housing; mess hall (excuse me "Dining Facility") or BAS; clothing initial issue, clothing allowance for enlisted versus officer; GI bill, Montgomery GI bill, VEAP; CHAMPUS, Tri-Care, whatever...; it's all robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the modern POST-draft military, it is the TOTAL compensation package that attracts recruits and keeps family oriented mid level careerists. We all know that, military OR civilian, apprentices make less than journeymen, who make less than skill craftsmen, who make less than craft masters; so entry level do not expect to live as well as mid or upper level management. It's either patriotism or profit that draws Americans to commit to a hitch or even life in military service; and, let's be honest, for the vast majority of the American public voluntarism, if not patriotism, is a reactionary affair and short lived at best.
For a while all the military LES's had a statement at the bottom that read, "If all your pay was taxable, your take home would be $### less." And, silly me, I always thought: "If all my pay, and ALL the military exactly like me were paid the same, AND that pay was taxed 100%; how much more would the government have to spend to keep folks like us in? How much more would be the total cost of compensation for this standing army?"
Regardless, when it comes to the military, it's a sellers' market; hence the cost of recruitment. If there is no current conflict, folks will gamble on getting in and out before the next war based on their economic situation. If there IS a conflict, the recruit pool must be made to think their sacrifice is either necessary, equitable, or will, eventually, be rewarded. That is NOT to say that all military are mercenary, to be bought and paid for; but rather, like investments, if the risk is high, particularly something as valuable as your life, the reward must be sufficient such as freedom.
Our government does know the cost of a standing army and recruited an entire generation of Soldiers with the false promise of lifetime medical support. For those many out there who berate the military; evidently they didn't offer a high enough price for your services, or you didn't qualify. I must say these perpetual snipes at our armed forces smacks either of envy, petty jealousy, or ignorance.
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81975
Shed no tears. The fact of the matter is there are many people waiting in line to work for free at the White House. Its called making connections. The very ones who have there pay capped will receive the mother of all "catch-up" raises when they leave for the private sector.
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81963
I wish they would freeze all Federal employee salaries over $100K. Our agency has been promoting the favored bunch to high level management positions like there's no tomorrow, creating imaginative position names and titles. I can't see what they do to earn their high pay. Then using NSPS they grant themselves raises while stiffing the reat of the employees or paying out shares as bonuses instead of increases to base pay. I would wager that the managers all got base pay raises. I won't feel sorry for any one making ovr $100K if they get a pay freeze. Bring it on!
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81957
Tigerhawk, I don't know what service you are in but in the Army uniforms are issued to enlisted and does not come out of pay. As an officer I do get a small uniform allowance that barely covers one uniform with all the gear. Enlisted do get to eat at the DFACs at no charge. Married soldiers can opt for family housing but they give up their BAH. If you are single then yes you live in the barracks which depending on your base may be bad or pretty good. The Army 15 month deployment has been reduced to 12 months. Most medical is free if you go to an on base medical facility. I did not have to pay for any prescrips or any sick call visits when I was at Bragg.
Terrence most of these free benefits are provided to the enlisted Soldiers. E-1s through E-5 maybe at highest. I suggest you go look at the pay of the lower enlisted members and then tell me they deserve to have their pay frozen when they are the ones carrying around 40-50 pounds of gear in the hot desert sun. They are the ones dodging bullets and IEDs. These benefits are provided so these Soldiers have one less thing to worry about when they are in battle. The lower enlisted are the tough work force of our Armed Services and their pay ain't all that much.
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81954
I guess "pay for performance" doesn't apply in the White House. I think ALL federal employees, including political appointees and elected officials, should have to deal with NSPS. You'd see it repealed in a heartbeat.
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81935
Really do think it woudl be only fair to freeze our salaries. Of course I'd like more money, but look at waht our employers (US Taxpayers) are going through, massive layoffs, unpaid days that they stillhave to work, salary reductions, Obama Tax hikes for Cap and trade, and other daily needs. Would really only be fair to not get a raise. Union leaders how about using the raise as a bargaining chip, No raise tied to abolishing NSPS?
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81932
the wages of all GS should be capped regardless of their income. A pay freeze is definitely in order. Unless the agency can show that the employees have cut enough from the operating budget to justify it. Other than the military no CS deserves a raise
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81931
Start with a Congress pay freeze and the "approved in the dead of night pay raises", freeze Congressional junket travel, "perks" and then I might have some consideration of a pay freeze. I've experienced them before in my 30 years of service at a GS-7 salary. My son is serving in Baghdad for the third time. No pay is worth the heat, sand storms, bugs, separation from family, etc. Stop whining about what the service people and their families have 'given' to them. They work endlessly 24/7 and mostly receive no thanks from anyone. If you are working and living beyond your pay, seems like a person could adjust their habits to cope. I am so thankful I work for the government and have a job.
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81918
I too am of the belief that federal employees should not have their salaries frozen. part of the appeal of working for the government is that we have a steady job; however, in good times we dont get double-digit salary increases. we forego the huge end of year bonuses. we get our steady 2-5% COLA, step increases, etc. so it should also be in "bad times" that we get the same treatment. we are already doing our part by taking less when times are good so we deserve the increases even in bad times.
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81908
My 14 per-fed years under social security are to be almost wiped out because I will retire under CSRS. I feel no sympathy for any non fed and less for White House political hacks. I have no intent to see my pay frozen either.
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81903
10 years servicing in the Air Force and 17 years working for Uncle Sam. This is in response to all those comments about freezing all government employees salaries, get a life. Most if not all us work hard to get these jobs, college education-military trainning, etc. Would you tell a doctor who spend 10 years in school to take a pay cut, I dont think so. Now there no way most of us government employees compare to doctors. We (gov. employees) still have to pay along with the rest of the country the rising cost of everything. With high salary comes alot of education (trainning). Stop hating
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81902
I'm sorry, but I'm only a GS-12.. have car loans, electric& gas bills and student loans on my kids. With creditcard companies raising their rates to 21%-25% (isn't that usury?)(my last dental cleaning was $86 -insurance pays $25), health benefit fees going up, utility rates going up and bread at $2 a loaf, I really need a cost of living increase :)
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81897
With the crisis upon us and no end in sight, the huge deficit and unemployment moving towards 10% - is it not time that all salaries for government employees are frozen this year rather than giving us an increase? Could a freeze not be a contribution, a 'thank you' that we've got jobs that are fairly safe? I know that this view is certainly not popular, but I needed to voice it nonetheless.HHJ
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81894
just as many civilian, state an local employees are having their wages frozen or even cut, all GS wages should be frozen, not just those white house employees over $100k, everyone.
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81889
This may sound crazy to many Americans who earn less (including federal workers), but earning $100,000 these days in high cost of living areas like New York City, Washington, San Francisco, etc. just qualifies you for the middle class, due to higher taxes, higher housing costs, and other expenses in those areas. What may be a great salary in Omaha is often just enough to get by in other, more expensive parts of the U.S.
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81885
Civil Service is an excellent, secure, job opportunity, in spite of NSPS or pay-for-performance. Where else does your employer pay 75% of your health insurance premiums - even after you retire??? The 5% matching of TSP and the very generous annual and sick leave are rare in private industry. Anyone that has taken the government up on the job offer knows that they are well compensated for what they do. To compare the contribution of a civil servant to that of a combat Soldier is missing a very key point. A Soldier is putting his life on the line. In today's military not deploying is by far the exception, not the rule. In my one "deployment" as a civilian, I pulled light duty in comparison to my military counterparts. No one handed me a weapon, or assigned me to guard duty or patrol. I did what I always do, in the confines of the secure compound - the compound guarded by my military counterparts. Although I may have worked 12-14 hour days, I was paid for each and every one of them. My military counterparts were not. I will never complain about not getting the same raise as the military, as I don't do the one critical task that they do. I don't put my life on the line every day. If the folks who have commented would really read their Leave and Earnings statements and compare what they get to their friends in private industry, they would get quiet really fast. We are very well compensated - now ant in retirement - for the work that we do. I am proud to serve my government as a civilian working for DoD, but know that nothing I do compares to what the combat Soldiers do. Make the right comparison and the case is clear.
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81882
It is interesting to see "Exceutive Assistants" in the WH receiving much less than the GS-14/15 "Executive Assistants" in the agencies. Amazing that the President's Cabinet needs higher salaried EA's than his White House organization. Maybe if these agencies reduced their EA to the White House EA levels, there maybe more money in the budget for operational needs??? The WH has been following the Clinton/Gore NPR with the exception of "no one needs an assistant."
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81879
Terrence, I'm sorry but you're either horribly misinformed or living under a very old misnomer about military members getting everything "for free". Uniforms aren't free; even in boot camp, they come out of our paychecks. Food isn't free; the mess hall concept is gone, save for deployed units. Medical, while I don't know the modern-day details surely is NOT free, at least since TRICARE replaced CHAMPUS, which was considered to be an abomination. Free housing; last I knew, this was only the case if you're single with no dependents and otherwise, again, when one is deployed...and deployed "housing", at least as I knew it, consisted of a rack with little to no privacy in a berthing shared with literally about a hundred other guys that didn't have much room to it. And as for combat pay; that's only in certain areas and certainly all of the military doesn't receive this. In my 12 years, I received combat pay for about three weeks. While this is nothing compared to the typical modern-day Army 15-month deployment, is it really that horrible of a thought considering that the area you're volunteering to go to has the risk of death attached to it where the most numerous billets are the lower ranks and, therefore, the lower end of the pay scale?
I certainly respect what you're trying to say about freezing CS salaries, but I question the rationale of the point that's going with it considering that this article only specifies folks in the White House, not the entire civil service.
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81877
Mr. Collins, Do you put your life on the line everyday at your job?
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81872
The military already receives combat pa, free food ,free clothng ,free medical, free housing. We have an all volunteer military. There is absolutely no ethical justification to treat them differently than any other government employee. essentially those in the military can make more than other civil servants. the pay freeze should be lifted. Civil servants should not be the scape goat for mismanagement of the Banking industry, the Auto industry,etc. It's amazing thay some of those Banking and Auto exec'c are still receiving extra ordinary salaries and bonus's. Give federal employees a break. If it wasn't for us the economy would be worse.Our cost of living raise should be 3.9%.
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81871
Not enough information here. What do the 146 people do? If they are filing clerks, secretaries, data entry personnel, then they already are paid more than most in those same positions just about anywhere in the federal government are, I know, I am one.
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81868
Does not include locality pay $. You should know that and explain it in the article. Ask Tammy.
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81866
Being a single parent (of one) and working for the U.S. Government for 10 years as a GS-4, GS-5 and GS-6 makes it hard for me to feel bad for these poor souls ONLY making $150,000+. PLEASE someone freeze MY salary at $100,000!!
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81861
Frozen or capped out, it all ammounts to the same thing. You are loosing money each year that your salary is frozen or capped. As a law enforcement GS-15 I am very familar with the feeling of loosing ground each year. Welcome to the club WH staffers.
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81856
Good article, but just for clarification: the last sentence may be misleading to those who don't work in the government or have an understanding of locality pay. If Mr. Marcozzi was a GS-15 working in Washington, D.C. during 2008, his salary would include a locality pay adjustment of 20.89%. That is added to the base salary. Thus, the 2008 range for a GS-15 in the D.C. area (base + locality) was from $115,317 (step 1) to $149,000 (step 10).
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81852
But a 20,000 dollar bonus isn't unheard of in Washington. Kind of like the CEO's accepting a dollar in salary but getting all kind of stock perks, and bonuses.
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81825
Ms. Rosenberg, the last paragraph of your article detailing the salary of Mr. Marcozzi is a little misleading. The $124,010 you quote for a GS-15, Step 10 was in fact the pay rate for individuals overseas and not in a locality area. However, the $149,000 salary quoted was in fact the salary for Any GS-15, starting at Step 7 up to Step 10 who was assigned within the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Locality Area. So Mr. Marcozzi was not unique in being paid at that level of pay in Federal service and the base level of pay you quoted ($124,010) did not apply to all GS-15, Step 10 General Schedule employees. I am kind of missing the point of this comparison.... Hopefully, White House civil service employees will be allowed to receive whatever increase is approved by Congress and the President. They deserve their pay too...
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