Pick Your Fights

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told a union rally Wednesday that while pay for performance is a good idea, the Bush administration plan for overhauling the civil service is fundamentally unfair.

Speaking to a National Treasury Employees Union rally in Washington, Hoyer said that federal workers' organizations should not oppose performance pay and outsourcing in principle. Instead, he urged union members to fight for equitable and transparent systems.

"We are not afraid of pay for performance, but what we want is a fair system in which to operate," Hoyer told the cheering crowd. Specifically, he said the White House is trying to weaken the appeals process.

The Bush administration is implementing sweeping reforms at the Defense and Homeland Security departments that will abolish the General Schedule pay system, restrict union bargaining rights and implement stricter disciplinary rules. Bush and other federal officials have suggested that this reform should be spread to other federal agencies.

On Wednesday, Hoyer said that the administration is using improved performance as a guise to install its own management preferences. He said that existing civil service laws allow for performance pay if they are correctly applied.

"They do not philosophically believe in your right to organize," Hoyer said. "They want to do away with collective bargaining."

The White House did not respond to questions about Hoyer's accusation.

Hoyer and NTEU National Vice President Frank Ferris also told the rally that the Defense and Homeland Security departments are being pushed into an untested personnel system.

"That makes absolutely no sense," Hoyer said.

At one point in the rally, he asked employees not to denounce the concept of outsourcing on principle.

"We are not against doing the best job for the taxpayer," Hoyer said. He told NTEU members, however, that they should fight for a fair and transparent system that provides the best service at a reasonable cost.

"Nine times out of 10, we will win the competition," he said.

Hoyer also said that he had introduced a House Resolution-H. Con. Res. 40-to support pay parity. President Bush has proposed a 3.1 percent raise for military personnel in 2006 and a 2.3 percent raise for civilian workers. In previous years, Congress has granted equal raises to all federal workers.

"Let me tell you what we are going to do," Hoyer said. "We are going to pass pay parity."

The crowd chanted "Steny, Steny, Steny" as he walked away from the podium.

"He's our hero," said one union member.