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Washington, D.C.—Inclusion of language in the Senate budget resolution calling for pay parity between civilian and military federal employees in 2005 is “an important recognition of the valuable contributions that civilian federal workers provide each and every day to the American people,” said the leader of the largest independent union of federal employees.

President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said that the budget resolution signals, once again, that many members of Congress understand the need for fair pay in attracting and retaining the high-quality employees the government needs. The language was included in what is known as the “chairman’s mark.”

“Pay parity has been supported and approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for nearly two decades,” Kelley said, “and I applaud the actions taken by the Senate Budget Committee in continuing that important tradition.”

Kelley noted that the president’s budget proposal for 2005 called for only a 1.5 percent pay increase for federal civilian employees while proposing a 3.5 percent increase for members of the military. “This meager proposal by the administration sends a damaging message to civilian employees that their work is not as important or as valued as that of their military counterparts,” Kelley said, adding that federal workers serve their country daily with the same dedication as members of the uniformed services.

The Senate Budget Committee action reflects earlier calls for the continued tradition of pay parity made by a bipartisan group of senators and a bipartisan group of representatives in separate letters to the president.

The action also comes as NTEU wraps up its annual legislative conference. During the past week, nearly 400 NTEU members from across the country have been meeting with members of Congress seeking their support on a number of legislative issues important to federal workers, including pay parity.

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