Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to vote Thursday, March 26,on H.Con.Res. 27, the proposed Concurrent Resolution on the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget. The IAM urges all members to contact their members of Congress and urge them to vote “No” on this budget bill. This extreme budget would gouge hundreds of billions from dedicated civil servants and makes hard-working federal employees scapegoats for a dysfunctional Congress.
International President Tom Buffenbarger sent a letter to Congress on behalf of the 110,000 federal employees the IAM represents urging the Representatives to oppose H.Con.Res. 27.
Among the many proposed reductions in civil service pay and benefits by this budget, The IAM is opposed to the elimination of both the defined benefit retirement program (FERS), a long-standing component of federal civil service compensation, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) by converting it into a voucher plan.
The budget also calls for federal employees to “make greater contributions toward their retirement.” If implemented, federal workers would be required to pay an additional six percent of salary toward retirement with no increase in benefits. This is the same as a permanent six percent pay cut, or working without pay for three weeks every year. This provision alone would cost federal employees an estimated $127 billion and would come in the wake of recent contribution changes that have resulted in an estimated $21 billion in costs to federal employees.
Increased pension contributions are just another tactic Congress uses to disguise mean-spirited pay cuts. Federal employees have endured three years of pay freezes, unpaid furloughs and intense financial instability ushered by a 2013 government shutdown. Yet despite the financial burden Congress has placed on federal employees, some lawmakers insist on seeking deeper cuts.
No other group of Americans has contributed towards deficit direction at the level federal employees have in recent years. Federal employees have already contributed $159 billion toward deficit reduction since fiscal year 2011, and this latest budget would seek hundreds of billions in additional cuts balanced on the backs of federal employees.
Take Action Now: Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and tell your member of Congress to vote “NO on H.Con.Res. 27.
Click here to urge your Representative to vote “NO” on the Upcoming Budget.
