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Washington, D.C.—Action by the House of Representatives to approve both a 4.1 percent federal civilian pay raise in 2004 and language that blocks the administration’s efforts to implement new contracting out rules that heavily favor the private sector, indicate that the president’s agenda regarding the government’s employees and the work they do is out of step with bipartisan support in Congress for the federal workforce.

President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said House approval of an amendment to the fiscal 2004 Treasury-Transportation appropriations bill that would prohibit appropriated funds from being used to implement recent revisions to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-76 reflect strong bipartisan support for providing federal employees with a fair and level playing field in contracting out studies.

NTEU has been extremely critical of the A-76 revisions charging that the administration’s rewrite of the document that governs contracting out provided significant and unfair advantages to the private sector.

“NTEU applauds the House on its vote last night to essentially revoke these unfair changes,” said President Kelley. “We urge the Senate to quickly join the House in refuting the president’s attempt to institute wholesale contracting out of federal work.”

Kelley also noted that the House action recognizes “the clear importance of competitive pay” in attracting and retaining quality employees in the federal workforce. The union leader called for prompt congressional approval of a 4.1 percent pay increase for 2004. Last week Senate Appropriations Committee approved a 4.1 percent civilian pay raise for federal workers in 2004.

The pay raise is moving through Congress despite the continued support of President Bush for only a 2.0 percent federal civilian raise in 2004. At the same time, the president has proposed an average 4.1 percent pay raise next year for members of the military. Over much of the past two decades, Congress has maintained military-civilian parity in pay raises.

NTEU is the largest independent union of federal employees representing 150,000 workers in 29 federal agencies and departments.