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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today called “outrageous and just plain wrong” a decision by the administration, as carried in media reports, to reinstate substantial cash bonuses for political appointees at the same time it was limiting the 2003 pay raise for rank-and-file civilian federal workers.

“This is Robin Hood in reverse—taking from the poor and giving to the rich. It is just one more holiday present from this administration to make sure that those who have much will get even more,” said President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

According to media reports today, the White House decided earlier this year—but made no public announcement—to reinstate cash bonuses of $10,000 and in some cases even more to several thousand political appointees. The practice had been stopped eight years ago by the previous administration.

“This is just another example of the mistaken message being sent to federal workers that they are less and less important to the nation and to getting done the work of the American people,” President Kelley said.

Late last week, President Bush set the federal civilian pay raise at 3.1 percent for 2003—a full percentage point less than the 4.1 percent raise that had gained bipartisan support in Congress. The president

claimed the nation could not afford the cost of locality pay adjustments for civilian employees in 2003 while fighting the war on terrorism—despite the fact that thousands of federal civilian workers are on the front lines of that war.

Beyond the pay issue, the Bush White House is moving strenuously to contract to the private sector as many as 850,000 federal jobs. And in securing passage of legislation creating a new Department of Homeland Security, the administration won personnel provisions it sought that put at risk the civil service and collective bargaining rights of tens of thousands of federal workers to be transferred to the new department.

“It’s no wonder the federal government is facing a human capital crisis of enormous proportions,” President Kelley said. “Agencies can’t keep the good people they have, they can’t attract the best new employees available, they’re starved for resources—and employees wonder what form the administration’s next attack will take,” she said. “The Bush administration’s approach to running the government makes no sense whatsoever.”

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents more than 150,000 employees in 27 agencies and departments.