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Washington, D.C.-President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today expressed her strong opposition to discussions in Congress that could result in delayed paychecks for federal workers late next year.

She said such proposals circulating now on Capitol Hill are "nothing more than a penalty on federal workers" so that Congress "can remain within artificial budget limits" during fiscal 2000.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 155,000 employees in 24 agencies and departments.

In a letter to House members, Kelley urged them to let Speaker J. Dennis Hastert "know of your opposition to this proposal." While no firm proposal is yet circulating, Kelley said, it appears the idea is that federal employee pay would be delayed toward the end of fiscal 2000, which ends next September 30, so that the funds to pay salaries actually would come out of the Treasury in the following fiscal year.

"Rather than allow [federal workers] to share in the strong economy we helped create," Kelley said, "some in Congress want to continue to penalize federal workers by suggesting that we have our pay delayed."

The NTEU president noted that not only have federal workers contributed more than $220 billion in pay and benefit cuts in the name of deficit reduction over the past two decades, they continue to be paid "substantially less" than their private sector counterparts. "They should at least expect to be paid on time," she said.

Kelley said that with an average annual salary of just over $46,000, "not many federal workers can afford to forgo, even for a short period of time" a regular paycheck.

"We have done more than our share," Kelley said, in criticizing the idea of delayed paychecks as "an unnecessary, unwise and unfair accounting gimmick."