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By its approval of 3.5 percent raise in 2008 for federal civilian employees, the House Appropriations Committee has taken a welcome step forward in recognizing the value of the continuing contributions to our nation of the federal workforce.

NTEU will continue its efforts in both the full House and the Senate to secure approval of a 3.5 percent raise next year for both federal civilian employees and members of the military.

The raise approved by the Appropriations Committee is half-a-percentage point higher than the 3 percent raise proposed by the administration for 2008 and matches the raise approved earlier by the House for those in the military. A fair and competitive pay raise for federal civilian workers is one of the key factors in making it possible not for government agencies to recruit the high-quality employees they so clearly need, but to retain them as well.

I also welcome approval by the Appropriations Committee of language that would limit funding for Internal Revenue Service use of private collection agencies. Additionally, the bill includes NTEU-supported provisions that would help bring an element of fairness to federal contracting by helping to level the playing field in A-76 competitions.