Postal Letter

How do you feel about federal employees making on average $30,000 more than private sector jobs since...?

the recession began? http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091211/1afedpay11_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data. Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession's first 18 months — and that's before overtime pay and bonuses are counted. Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector. The highest-paid federal employees are doing best of all on salary increases. Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available. When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000. The trend to six-figure salaries is occurring throughout the federal government, in agencies big and small, high-tech and low-tech. The primary cause: substantial pay raises and new salary rules. "There's no way to justify this to the American people. It's ridiculous," says Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a first-term lawmaker who is on the House's federal workforce subcommittee. Jessica Klement, government affairs director for the Federal Managers Association, says the federal workforce is highly paid because the government employs skilled people such as scientists, physicians and lawyers. She says federal employees make 26% less than private workers for comparable jobs. USA TODAY analyzed the Office of Personnel Management's database that tracks salaries of more than 2 million federal workers. Excluded from OPM's data: the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, intelligence agencies and uniformed military personnel. Is this an example of government intervention into the economy championing the poor?

Public Comments

1. I think a person is entitled to good wages.
2. I think its sickening! Most those govt people have no educational college backrounds either! Its favoritism
3. Wow. Don't you wish you were educationally and intelletually qualified for one of those jobs? Wouldn't it be great?
4. Yes and? we have had wage stagnation in the private sector for over 8 years now. That whole Bush Tax Cut Trickle Down Reagan economics... The only thing is the trickle down NEVER TRICKLED DOWN!!!!! So stuff a sock in it Gomer.
5. Federal workers are locked in, they dont have a boss ( the govt) who mistreats them, nickels and dimes them, cuts their hours to save on benefits etc the field in the private sector is tilted toward management despite what the right says, Unions are powerless
6. The American people deserve what they get by voting in this Liberal Marxist and the salaries will only continue to go up, until there is no more money and then we will just inflate our way out of it--result is people are broke and Govt continues.
7. They certainly not not earn nor deserve it, they are to be public or civil servants, and the servant should make less than their masters!!
8. I noted you have chosen the higher echelon to example. I think if you do a little further research you will find the majority of civil service employees are GS-5 to GS-12 which make considerably less than civilian counterparts.
9. Do you make more than the average private sector job? If you averaged your companies wages would it be more than the average private sector job? The majority of federal employees do not make six figures. Take a look at the pay scale.