At the same time, federal unions, government groups and associations have been
busy discussing their own legislative priorities and overall goals.
Federal News Radio asked the following groups for a list of their top priorities
over the next four years.
American Federation of Government Employees
Focus on the Election - AFGE is encouraging
voters to choose national leaders who have been strong supporters of federal and
D.C. government workers.
Grow Membership - AFGE currently has
277,000 members. It would like to grow those ranks over the next year to 300,000
or more.
Continue Push Against Cuts to Federal Pay and Benefits
- AFGE President J. David Cox believes, "Federal employees have paid more than
their fair share on the deficit reduction. Federal employees have been the well
that [has been repeatedly tapped]. And I'm of the opinion that well is dry."
Coalition for Government Procurement
Decrease the cost of federal acquisition for
government, industry and taxpayers by:
Reducing the cost of duplicative
contracts by encouraging the use of existing government-wide contracting programs.
Relying on the acquisition of commercial items and using commercial
best practices, whenever possible.
Reducing administrative burdens by
simplifying rules and information collection requirements.
National Active and Retired Federal Employees
Association
Protect FEHBP - Protect,
promote and enhance the integrity and affordability of the Federal Employees
Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). NARFE also will oppose increasing FEHBP
participants' premiums by capping the government's contribution.
Support Adequate COLAs - We oppose changing the current formula used to
calculate COLAs from the CPI-W to the chained CPI-U. We support changing the
standard for determining the COLA from the CPI-W to the CPI-E, which takes into
account the rising health care costs of seniors.
Retirement
Annuities - Oppose reductions to federal retirement annuities or increases in
employee retirement contributions without a corresponding benefit increase.
Pay Raises - Support annual pay adjustments to close the pay gap
between private- and public-sector workers, and oppose any efforts to extend the
two-year federal pay freeze.
Workforce - Oppose arbitrary
reductions in the federal workforce without a strategic plan to manage the
workload.
National Federation of Federal Employees
Protect Federal Jobs - If sequestration were to
go into effect next year we are likely to see either furloughs, RIFs, hiring
freezes, and/or retirement incentives at most agencies. Though the proposed
workforce reductions have varied in size, most call for a 10 percent reduction in
federal
jobs - a move that would cripple an already resource-starved workforce and erode
federal services.
Securing Modest Pay Adjustments - Our
priority for the beginning of the next administration is to ensure that federal
employees get their 0.5 percent raise retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013, as they were
promised. Going forward, we will push for larger annual pay adjustments as the
economy continues to recover.
Defend Retirement Benefits - New
workers must now pay four times as much into their pension each paycheck in order
to get the same pension they would have received before. This change was
effectively a pay cut for every new employee who decides to pursue a future with
the civil service. If we are to attract the next generation of cancer researchers,
veterans' doctors, and intelligence analysts, we need to offer a secure
retirement.
Implementing Executive Order 13522 - Though
substantial progress has been made in establishing labor-management forums at
various agencies, participation and commitment is not unanimous. If we are to
realize the true potential or these partnerships, we must have buy-in from
everyone involved. We will work through our role on the National Council on
Federal Labor-Management Relations to ensure both labor and management are engaged
in meaningful collaboration.
Work with Other Unions - Unions
both public and private have been facing serious pressure from governments,
businesses, and many in the media. We will continue to work with fellow unions and
other groups to ensure that unions and the employees they represent are recognized
for their dedication and service to the American dream.
National Treasury Employees Union
Avoid Sequestration - NTEU's priority will be to push for
fairness and balance and to remind lawmakers every day that the middle class
federal workers have already contributed more than $75 billion through a pay
freeze and increased retirement contributions.
