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Federal Pay Debate…

Federal pay debate

Our country is in the middle of a deep recession with public concern about deficit spending and now the spin doctors and pundits think that federal salaries are too high. I’m a GS-11 level public servant, and all pay tables for federal employees are public information, posted at www.OPM.gov.

Take my job as an example; I’m a Shipbuilding Specialist working at Naval Base San Diego doing government oversight for repair of the Navy ships by contractors working at the local shipyards. My degree is in hard work and on the job training with special training requirements for marine paint inspection, welding inspection, electrical, mechanical, structural, propulsion, combat, navigation, logistical acquisition, technical blueprint reading, repair manuals, and financial contract applications. All of which is inputted, tracked and recorded by me using the latest in a centralized computer data base, for accountability by my coworkers and management.

In order to perform my job I have to work in one of the worlds most dangerous working environments the shipyard and ship board, to keep our ships for the men and women of the US Navy repaired and safe when they perform their missions to keep our country free. If I were to compare my knowledge skills and pay to that of my counter parts at other shipyards or naval maintenance centers in the United States, our current position and salary is not even at the same pay level! So if my federal pay is too high for what I do, please contact me through the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council or GovLoop.com and walk in my shoes for a day at work, to see if you agree with the pundits.

Tom Watson

President IFPTE Local 32

“This post was originally published on http://myfederalunioninsandiego-tomzoot.blogspot.com. It has been recreated here for govloop users.”

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Warren Master

Tom, as someone who’s federal career lasted almost 30 years (starting at the GS 11 level with a master’s degree and years of experience largely on the private sector), you’re not alone in your lament – a view shared by millions of public servants across the country. So…I suggest you spend more time enjoying the positive karma of fellow public sector employees – teachers, police officers, firemen, national park and forest service rangers, judges and clerks of the court, social workers and government auditors who ferret out fraud, waster and abuse, among others. Check out our lively blog exchange on the importance of government oversight, stewardship and accountability on GovLoop (http://www.govloop.com – A Cliffside View of Government Oversight).