Federal Managers Association

Press Release

• FMA NATIONAL PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO H.R. 3835 AND EXTENSION OF PAY FREEZE - February 1, 2012

• Alexandria, VA - Today, Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Patricia Niehaus sent the following letter to the House of Representatives in advance of a vote on H.R. 3835, a bill which would extend the federal employee pay freeze for a third year.

  February 1, 2012

  Dear Representative:

  On behalf of the over 200,000 managers and supervisors in the federal government whose interests are represented by the Federal Managers Association (FMA), I strongly urge you to vote against H.R. 3835 when it comes before the House today for a vote. We at FMA recognize this will not be an easy vote for you to cast. By standing up for middle-class federal employees who are already subject to a two-year pay freeze, you will be portrayed as supporting a pay raise for yourself. However, this legislation is yet another attempt to place disproportionate focus on federal employee pay and benefits under the guise of deficit reduction, and I respectfully request you vote against this bill.

  The vast majority of federal employees are middle-income citizens. Many of us are seeing our retirement accounts shrink, our personal medical expenses increase, and are supporting unemployed or underemployed family members on a single paycheck. Federal employees made a sacrifice of $60 billion with the current two-year pay freeze; to further extend this freeze is not in line with the notion of "shared sacrifice" that supporters of this bill are claiming in their defense of this legislation.

  In addition to placing misguided attention on federal employees who are struggling financially just like their private sector counterparts, the money saved in the bill does not count towards deficit reduction as required by the Budget Control Act. Since the legislation was introduced just last week, there has not been a hearing or mark-up to debate its merits, and it is being fast tracked by being placed on the Suspension Calendar, which allows for little debate on the House floor and no amendments.

  Federal workers provide invaluable services to our country. We are responsible for securing our national borders, collecting taxes and revenues, caring for veterans and the elderly, and assisting our troops overseas. Extending the federal pay freeze will negatively affect agencies' recruitment and retention of much needed talent, making it more difficult to provide crucial assistance to a growing number of Americans. H.R. 3835 puts further strain on federal employees who are struggling to do more with less, in both our personal and professional lives.

  I urge you to vote against H.R. 3835 or any piece of legislation that extends the federal pay freeze. Federal workers do not deserve to disproportionately shoulder the burden of the nation's economic problems. Thank you for your time and consideration of our views. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact FMA's Government Affairs Director Greg Stanford at gstanford@fedmanagers.org or 703-683-8700.

  Sincerely, 

  Patricia Niehaus

  National President

  
  

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