The recently elected president of the American Federation of Government Employees union, David Cox, has called on President Obama to ensure federal employees get a 0.5 percent raise as of January 2013 even if implemented retroactively pending the finalization of a new budget.
Cox said Obama’s decision to extend the two-year federal pay freeze until Congress passes a budget is "unwarranted and unjustified," arguing he could have used his authority under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act to set a raise of 0.5 percent
To help soften the pay freeze, the union also issued a statement calling on the White House to negotiate a pay freeze in health care premiums that are set to increase in January 2013.
