Senate approves 4.6 percent pay raise
Federal workers would get a 4.6 percent average pay raise, under a bill approved by the Senate this week.
The Senate this week approved a 4.6 percent average pay raise for federal workers in 2002. The pay raise cleared the Senate as part of a voice vote on the 2002 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill Wednesday. The House in July approved a 4.6 percent average raise as part of its version of the appropriations bill. Representatives from each house will now convene to work out differences in the two versions, and then send up a final version to the White House. President Bush in February proposed a 3.6 percent average raise for federal workers. The Bush administration has stuck by that figure, arguing that a 4.6 percent raise would be too expensive, costing $900 million more than Bush's proposal. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley cheered the Senate action, issuing a statement that said: "A fair and competitive pay increase is absolutely critical in helping recruit and retain the quality employees the public needs in government service." The Senate bill would give federal agencies permanent authority to offer child care tuition assistance to federal workers and order the General Services Administration to put defibrillators in federal buildings and provide training in their use. Defibrillators can save the lives of people having heart attacks.