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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today expressed her appreciation for the bipartisan momentum clearly building for civilian-military pay parity in 2006 with the introduction in both the House and Senate of resolutions calling for equal pay raises next year for both groups of federal workers.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley applauded Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), along with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), for their leadership roles in pursuing these resolutions in their respective bodies.

The NTEU leader particularly singled out Sen. Collins for her continuing and vital support of pay parity. As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as well as the lead Republican sponsor of the measure, her leadership is critical to making pay parity a reality, President Kelley said.

The pay parity resolutions come on the heels of a letter little more than a week ago from key House members to President Bush urging civilian-military pay parity in 2006.

“The strong message coming from congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle,” President Kelley said, “is that pay parity is important to the country in recognizing the contributions of both members of the military and the civilian workforce.” She added: “It plays an important role in the efforts by federal agencies to attract and retain a high-quality, high-performing workforce.”

Rep. Hoyer spoke for the House members. “The bipartisan, bicameral support for these resolutions sends a strong message to President Bush that Congress is united behind the principle of pay parity, which will help ensure fair pay for civilian federal employees.”

Sen. Sarbanes said of the Senate resolution: “Providing equitable pay raises for federal employees is not just an issue of fairness. It is also critical to recruiting and retaining talented individuals in public service, and to successfully administering our federal programs.”

Sens. Collins and Sarbanes were joined in sponsoring the Senate resolution by Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), John Warner and George Allen, both R-VA; Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine, both D-NJ; Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Olympia Snowe (D-ME).

The House sponsors, in addition to Rep. Hoyer, are Reps. Tom Davis (R-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Maryland Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, Al Wynn, Ben Cardin and C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.