Raise Likely Would Be Divided

By: fedweek

Although the appropriations bills are silent on the issue, the raise figure likely would be divided between across-the-board and locality components for general schedule employees. In most recent years in similar situations, the funds for 1 percentage point of the raise have been set aside as locality pay and divided up among the metropolitan localities and the catchall “rest of the U.S.” locality according to labor market data gathered by the Labor Department. The federal pay raise in 2005 of an average of 3.5 percent, for example, was divided in that way and produced raises ranging from 3.26 to 4.3 percent. The measures also would continue the practice of capping wage grade raises at the local GS amount.