Thousands of federal employees across the country could be getting bigger paychecks with the expansion of new locality-based pay into 13 cities.

The American Federation of Government Employees announced the new locality areas May 27, saying the union received assurances from Beth Cobert, the deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, that the administration will implement the new locality areas in January.

"AFGE has been leading the fight for several years to provide federal employees in these cities with salaries that are more closely aligned with regional standards," said AFGE Public Policy Director and Federal Salary Council member Jacqueline Simon. "Federal employees nationwide have suffered terribly from pay freezes and below-market salaries. This is tremendous news and will help many middle-class families pay their bills."

The 13 cities are: Albany, N.Y.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Colorado Springs, Co.; Davenport, Iowa; Harrisburg, Pa.; Kansas City, Mo.; Laredo, Texas; Las Vegas, Nev.; Palm Bay, Fla.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Tucson, Ariz.

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The new pay areas were approved by the President's Pay Agent – a group of agency officials who advise the administration on federal pay – back in 2013, but the administration had not put the new areas into place.

The number of pay localities has not been expanded for several years, despite data showing that employees in the 13 cities are earning less than non-federal employees doing the same jobs, according to AFGE.

"Everybody says the federal pay system ought to be 'market based,' and this change enhances the system's market sensitivity immensely," Simon said.

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