An early marker has been set for the January 2017–not 2016–general schedule pay raise, as the Labor Department has reported that the employment cost index measure used for determining the across-the-board component of that raise was 2.1 percent in the measuring period ending in September. Under federal pay law, the figure is supposed to be used in setting the raise recommendation in the White House’s annual budget proposal, which comes out each February, for the following January. A half percentage point is supposed to be shaved off that amount in order to keep employees roughly apace with private sector wage growth, and additional locality pay is supposed to be paid on top sufficient to virtually close local pay gaps. That system never has worked as designed, however, and raises instead have decided annually in the budget process.