House appropriators approve 3.9 percent civilian pay raise

The House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of the raise as part of the fiscal 2009 financial services and general government appropriations bill. The adjustment is 1 percent higher than the increase proposed by the Bush administration, which in February called for a 2.9 percent hike for civilian workers and a 3.4 percent pay boost for military personnel.

The adjustment also is identical to the amount recently authorized by the House for members of the military services.

Approval of the raise drew praise from federal labor unions, which have been lobbying for pay parity between civilian employees and uniformed service members, and for a raise higher than the president's request.

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley called the move "a wise investment in providing high-quality government services to taxpayers." A portion of the proposed 3.9 percent pay hike civilian workers would receive in 2009 would be allocated for locality pay; the rest would go toward an across-the-board increase.