Groups urge super committee to protect federal pay and benefits

Federal employee groups are urging the congressional super committee to reject additional cuts to government workers' pay and benefits as part of its final deficit reduction plan.

"Similar to their private sector counterparts, federal workers are confronting rising health care costs and general living expenses, and many are responsible for supporting their families on a single paycheck," Federal Managers Association President Patricia Niehaus wrote in an Aug. 29 letter to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Murray, along with Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, co-chairs the super committee. "Unfortunately, the past months have revealed many lawmakers' insatiable appetites when it comes to targeting federal workers' compensation as a means to reduce the nation's debt."

The American Federation of Government Employees sent a similar letter to Murray on Friday. "We urge the joint committee to reject across-the-board freezes, cuts or caps to agency spending or personnel," wrote Beth Moten, AFGE's legislative director. "Instead, if discretionary spending is to be cut, the committee should identify functions that should be downsized or no longer performed. Such decisions should be based on careful analysis."

AFGE's letter also urged the joint committee to avoid efforts to increase outsourcing and to support lowering the cap on contractor pay to $200,000 per year.

In July, the National Treasury Employees Union launched a public awareness campaign to lobby against proposals targeting the pay and benefits of government workers and to highlight the connection between public service and quality of life in America.

Most observers agree that government employees will have to sacrifice beyond the current two-year pay freeze, either in the form of increased pension contributions, an extended pay freeze, a hiring freeze, or some other cut to salaries and benefits -- and those sacrifices could very well come out of the congressional super committee. If lawmakers fail to enact legislation that achieves $1.2 trillion in savings, then it will trigger automatic spending cuts across government, which means federal workers' jobs and pay could be on the line.

During debt ceiling negotiations, the White House and lawmakers considered making workers contribute more to their retirement plans as part of a deal to avoid a government default. The House-passed version of the fiscal 2012 budget resolution included a recommendation that would require federal employees to pay for half the defined benefit they receive with their pensions at retirement. Most employees currently contribute 0.8 percent of their salaries and agencies pay 11.7 percent, with agencies' contribution set to increase to 11.9 percent in October.

There are also several stand-alone pieces of legislation that target federal pay and benefits. For example, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has unveiled a $9 trillion deficit reduction plan that would extend the current civilian pay freeze, reduce leave benefits and trim the workforce in an effort to cut government spending. The proposal builds on a number of fiscal commission recommendations introduced late last year. Also, Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Coburn have introduced legislation that would end the Federal Employees Retirement System-defined benefit plan for new government employees, including new members of Congress, starting in 2013.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is a member of the super committee. Many federal employees live and work in Van Hollen's district in the Maryland suburbs outside Washington. During a recent visit to the Census Bureau, Sen. Ben Cardin told federal employees that he and his fellow congressional Maryland Democrats, including Van Hollen, would fight for federal employees and work to protect them from additional pay and benefits pain.