J. David Cox has had one number on his mind this week: 5.3 percent.

It's the pay raise that the American Federation of Government Employees president has been advocating for federal workers receive for 2017, instead of the 1.6 percent bump suggested in the president's budget.

The union said in a Feb. 12 release that Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., would tack the 5.3 percent raise into the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act, a bill the congressman's office said he plans to introduce next week.

Cox said, in a statement, AFGE backed the pending legislation and federal employees deserved the raise to make up for tepid wage growth over the past six years.

"It's time to raise wages for all working families in this country, and the federal government should serve as the model for all other employers to follow," he said.

Connolly introduced a previous version of the FAIR Act that included a 3.8 percent raise for federal employees in January 2015.

Cox, who spoke with Federal Times about the need for the 5.3 percent raise this week, said the legislation would help federal employees recover some of the wage growth that had been lacking since The Great Recession and sequestration took hold of the budget.

"As a result of six years of low to no pay raises, the purchasing power of federal paychecks has declined substantially," he said. "The women and men who keep this country running deserve a standard of living that keeps up with inflation and rising wages, which is why this catch-up contribution is long overdue. Congress must pass this legislation."

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