Whereas most Americans are just happy to have a job, never mind bitching about not getting a good enough raise.
Via Fox News:
Federal labor unions are crying foul over President Obama’s proposal to raise federal employee pay by 1 percent next year, arguing the increase is inadequate.
David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the nation’s largest federal employee union, said Monday that the 1 percent increase is “pitiful” and fails to compensate for sacrifice by government workers.
“Federal employees have endured years of pay freezes and cuts in retirement benefits,” Cox said in a statement. “Federal employees deserve a meaningful pay raise, not a token increase that will be more than eaten up by rising living costs, including higher retirement and healthcare costs.”
The increase would mark the second year in a row that civilian federal workers would get a 1 percent hike after three straight years of pay freezes. Pay went up in January. The Pentagon said military pay would go up by 1 percent as well.
Obama actually sets the pay increase by presidential order but his budget, which comes out on March 4, sets aside the money for it.