"...Bush's pay decision is yet another blow to federal workers, many of
whom are facing big changes in job descriptions under the Bush administration.
"It's been a tough year for federal employees," said Paul Light, senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on the federal work
force. "I don't think any one of them will be surprised. It's one of
several lumps of coal in the stocking this year."
The White House couldn't say exactly how many federal employees the change
would impact, but said it would be almost all.
The White House quietly released the letter to journalists via e-mail late
on Friday, the middle of a long holiday weekend when most Americans were
apt to be paying little attention to the news.
Under a law passed in 1990, federal employees covered by the government's
general schedule pay system would receive a two-part pay increase with the
new year, a 3.1% across-the-board increase plus a pay hike based on
private-sector wage changes in the areas where they work. Military
personnel still will receive a 4.1 percent increase and aren't affected.
This law outlining federal pay kicks in because Congress has not yet passed
the appropriations legislation directing a specific increase, said Amy
Call, a spokeswoman for the White House's Office of Management and Budget.
Earlier this month, the administration announced it wants to let private
companies compete for up to half of the 1.8 million federal jobs. Also, in
the new Homeland Security Department, Bush won the broad powers he sought
to hire, fire and move workers in the 22 agencies that will be merged..."
FROM...
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=02/11/29/0547289
Any federal employee's want to post us classified stuff and access codes
and so on,please feel free. Use a public terminal far from home and upload
to Indymedia and/or cryptome.We'd love to hear from you.
