Military Raise Sets ‘Parity’ Target

A House subcommittee has approved a 2.7 percent raise for uniformed military personnel in January 2007, likely rekindling an effort to boost federal employee raises to the same amount in the name of “pay parity”—the practice, followed in all but a few years in the last two decades, of setting civilian and military raises at the same amount. The parity argument had been largely dormant this year since the Bush administration’s budget proposed 2.2 percent increases for both groups—although the White House did not characterize the recommendation as endorsing parity. However, the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee has endorsed a 2.7 percent military raise, an amount that would amount to continuing the practice of recent years under a now-expired law of setting the military raise at a half-percentage point above the employment cost index figure used for the pertinent measuring period.