Fed-Military Pay Linkage Could Be Tested Again

Under a law enacted in 2000, annual military raises through 2006 are to be set a half percentage point above the unreduced ECI figure. That means a target military raise for 2004 of 3.7 percent-although there has been speculation that the administration will abandon that formula and recommend a lower figure. Should President Bush again recommend a lower figure for federal employees than for uniformed personnel, employee-friendly members of Congress no doubt would work once again to maintain pay parity between the two groups. That parity has been maintained in most years over the last two decades and that process is continuing to play out as the raise for this year remains under debate. A resolution (S. Con. Res. 1) already has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., to maintain parity between federal and military pay in 2004. Resolutions are not binding but in the past they have served as the vehicles to garner support for maintaining pay parity as part of binding budget measures.