Retirement Rebuttal

National Treasury Employees Union president Colleen Kelley has a response to yesterday's USA Today story about government retirement benefits vs. those in the private sector:

In making the argument that government salaries are higher than those of the private sector, the USA Today article ignores that valid salary surveys, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and confirmed by the Bush-appointed Federal Salary Council, show that federal employees earn about 13 percent less than their private sector counterparts in similar positions. Those surveys also factor in locality pay, which Congress established in 1990 in acknowledgement of lagging federal compensation. Additionally, the story neglects a crucial element -- most positions in the federal workforce are professional and highly-skilled, often requiring college and advanced degrees, while many jobs in the private sector are retail and service jobs. The USA Today comparison is invalid.

Further, federal employees have enjoyed no substantive improvements in their benefits in some years. And when compared with private sector counterparts in comparable occupations, federal employee benefits are substandard. One disturbing trend in the private sector, which will harm millions of Americans, is a move by some companies to cut back -- or eliminate entirely -- such critical forms of compensation as health insurance and pensions. Let us hope the public sector never follows suit. A strong and highly skilled civil service is critical to the safety, security and stability of our county. Competitive pay and benefits are essential to that goal. Shortchanging federal agencies in their efforts to recruit and retain the best and brightest equals shortchanging our communities, our families and our lives.