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Washington, D.C.—Despite rejection of language supporting civilian-military pay parity by the House Budget Committee in its 2005 budget resolution, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) will continue aggressively to press the case for pay parity, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said today.

The union president expressed her disappointment over the action by the House Budget Committee in rejecting an amendment offered by Rep. James P. Moran (D-VA) and refusing to join a bipartisan majority in the Senate in support of pay parity. Earlier this month, the Senate Budget Committee included language in its budget resolution calling for similar pay raises for civilian federal workers and members of the military.

“Not only is higher pay for federal civilian workers important as a recruitment and retention tool,” President Kelley said, “civilian-military pay parity sends the much-needed message to federal workers that their efforts are recognized, valued and appreciated.” She thanked Rep. Moran for his continuing work on the Budget Committee in support of pay parity.

The administration’s budget proposal for 2005 calls for only a 1.5 percent pay raise for civilian employees while proposing a 3.5 percent increase for members of the military. NTEU supports the higher raise for all employees, Kelley said, adding that civilian-military pay parity has been approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for most of the past two decades.

She noted that despite the party-line vote against pay parity in the House Budget Committee, a bipartisan group of House members had earlier sent a letter to President Bush urging a continuation of pay parity. In addition, Kelley said, a bipartisan group of senators had sent a similar letter.

“Many members of Congress have long understood the importance of pay parity, and I am confident that when the final decisions are made, civilian-military pay parity will be a reality for 2005,” she said.

As the largest independent union of federal employees, NTEU represents some 150,000 workers in 29 agencies and departments.