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Washington, D.C.—A coalition of nearly two-dozen organizations of federal employees, managers and retirees, including the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), reminded Congress of the $103 billion in economic sacrifices made by federal workers and urged Congress to oppose efforts to target them for additional budget savings related to avoiding the impending ‘fiscal cliff.’

In a letter to every House member and senator, the Federal-Postal Coalition, representing nearly five million federal and postal workers and retirees, called on elected officials not “to extract even more budget savings directly from federal workers and retirees” in conjunction with fiscal cliff negotiations.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley has been vocal on this subject, pointing out that since the beginning of 2011, the budget savings from reduced compensation to the federal workforce have totaled at least $103 billion.

This includes $60 billion over 10 years from the ongoing two-year pay freeze, at least $28 billion in savings from a reduced and delayed 2013 pay raise, and another $15 billion from an increase in the retirement contributions of new federal hires.

“Clearly, federal workers and retirees have done more than any other group in the name of deficit reduction,” the NTEU leader said. “It is time for others to step up and recognize the need for shared sacrifice.”

The coalition letter underscored that argument. Its letter said: “It is time our nation’s leaders found other ways to reduce the deficit than continually taking away from those who have dedicated their lives to public service.”

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.