WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today called for speedy consideration of a recommendation to address pay disparity at Tobyhanna Army Depot. The letter to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director John Berry urges an end to the delay in implementing a recommendation made by the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to resolve this pay disparity. Senator Casey spoke with Director Berry on this subject today.
“Currently, there exists a pay disparity between the General Schedule (GS) employees, who are included in the more generous New York Labor Market locality pay system, and the Federal Wage System (FWS) employees who are not,” said Senator Casey. “This scenario produces instability in the workforce by dampening morale amongst affected employees who feel that they are being treated unequally with no justification.”
On October 21, 2010, the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) voted to approve a fix to allow all employees to be covered by the New York Labor Market locality pay system and sent the decision to the Director of OPM for approval.
Senator Casey continued: “Recently, the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) attempted to correct this inequity by recommending that OPM consolidate the Federal Wage System wage areas that lie within General Schedule locality pay areas. I regret that, to date, the Office of Personnel Management has failed to implement this solution and restore fairness to the pay treatment of these workers.”
Last year, Senator Casey sent a letter to the FPRAC supporting a resolution to end the pay disparity at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
In addition to the more than 2,000 employees affected at Tobyhanna, more than 15,000 employees in 18 states face similar pay disparities.
The full text of the letter is below:
March 29, 2011
Mr. John Berry
Director
Office of Personnel Management
1900 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20415
Director Berry:
I am writing to you with concerns about a decision pending with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regarding a pay disparity among employees of the Tobyhanna Army Depot.
As you are aware, the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 establishes the process by which General Schedule salaries are computed. This process is intended to reflect regional economic conditions and provide higher locality pay rates for those working in areas with a higher cost of living. Though the process sets out to include careful consideration of a number of factors when setting wage parameters, we increasingly see cases where federal employees who work in the same location are paid based upon drastically different criteria.
Such is the case at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Currently, there exists a pay disparity between the General Schedule (GS) employees, who are included in the more generous New York Labor Market locality pay system, and the Federal Wage System (FWS) employees who are not. This scenario produces instability in the workforce by dampening morale amongst affected employees who feel that they are being treated unequally with no justification.
Recently, the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) attempted to correct this inequity by recommending that OPM consolidate the Federal Wage System wage areas that lie within General Schedule locality pay areas. I regret that, to date, the Office of Personnel Management has failed to implement this solution and restore fairness to the pay treatment of these workers.
I understand OPM has reasons for its delay. However, in my view, such reasons are not sufficient to postpone implementing the FPRAC’s recommendations. Simply stated, OPM should move forward without delay. The issue has been studied and the responsible oversight body has made its decision—these workers deserve equal treatment. Bestowing equal treatment to Tobyhanna workers is not a raise but a warranted correction to a pay system that is out of balance.
I hope that OPM reconsiders its position and moves quickly to adopt the FPRAC’s recommendations.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
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