Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C.—The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today expressed her strong opposition to a proposal offered by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that would place the burden of avoiding the fiscal cliff squarely on the shoulders of the federal workforce.

“Senator Corker’s inequitable proposal completely ignores the fact that the federal workforce has already contributed $103 billion toward deficit reduction and economic recovery—more than any other group,” said President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

Under the Corker proposal, which is not yet in legislative form, the current federal pay freeze would be extended through 2015; the entire defined benefit portion of federal retiree annuities would be eliminated for new hires; the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) would be turned into a voucher program under which the share paid by enrollees would sharply increase over time; and take other negative steps impacting federal workers.

“The men and women of the federal workforce are middle class public servants who have already been tapped three times since 2011 to contribute toward our economic woes,” President Kelley said. “If the government is to remain a competitive employer, it makes absolutely no sense to freeze their pay for what would be a five-year period, degrade their retirement when our nation already is facing a retirement crisis, and turn their model health care plan on its head.”

Besides, she added,” it simply isn’t fair to target a single group in this manner. The only way we can truly address our nation’s longer-term economic problems is through shared sacrifice. Senator Corker’s proposal is a move in the wrong direction, and NTEU will take every step it can to see that it is rejected.”

Federal workers already are contributing $88 billion over 10 years to deficit reduction from the ongoing pay freeze, and another $15 billion in higher pension contributions.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.