Federal Workers Worried About Pension Raids
Monday, May 23, 2011(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Adding financial insult to economic injury, federal workers may
be forced to contribute more to their own pensions at the same time their wages
have been frozen. Federal pensions have become an easy political target for
lawmakers on both sides of the aisle looking to score points with voters reeling
from the ongoing recession. Last December, President’s Obama’s fiscal
commission recommended hitting up federal employees for larger contributions to
their own pensions – another de-facto pay cut of as much as 5 percent on top
of the current 2-year wage freeze. In March, meanwhile, Republican Senators
Richard Burr and Tom Coburn proposed completely eliminating pensions for
government employees. Last week, AFSCME
Council 26 wrote letters to Washington-area Senators and
Representatives urging them not to raise the workers’ retirement contribution.
Council 26 Executive Director Carl Goldman said “I urge all federal employees
and other Union City readers to call Congress on this issue. While major
corporations pay no taxes, it is outrageous that Congress and the Administration
are attacking workers’ living conditions." - includes
reporting by the UCS News Service