Trump labor adviser's plan for cutting federal compensation, potentially even paid holidays

[DonViejo]

By Joe Davidson | Columnist December 17 at 8:00 AM

The Trump administration’s consideration of a wage freeze for federal employees is one piece of a renewed multifront Republican push to shrink those workers’ pay, benefits and workforce. That effort has been around for years, but it now has an intellectual champion in the White House, and I don’t mean President Trump.

Confidential administration information released last week by Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), the leading Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, revealed an administration proposal to freeze federal salaries in fiscal 2019. That is the third piece in a pattern that includes Trump’s 2018 budget proposal to cut the employer contribution to retirement benefits and the House Republican plan to have retirees pay more out of pocket for their health insurance.

Congress did not approve the last two recommendations, and the pay freeze, which Trump can impose, is not beyond the leaked-document stage. Yet the proposals lurk, likely to reemerge in future budget plans after having long percolated in conservative circles.

Now, with James Sherk — a chief proponent of the notion that federal workers are overpaid — serving as Trump’s labor adviser, the proposals stand their best chance yet of becoming policies that dig deep into federal employees’ pockets.

more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/18/trump-labor-advisers-plan-for-cutting-federal-compensation-potentially-even-paid-holidays

[alarimer]

1. Federal workers are NOT overpaid.

This stupid talking point happens all the time. Even people here believe it sometimes.

But if they cut federal pay (and holidays, I mean, WTF??), just who is going to buy all the houses in Virginia around DC? To say nothing of the other spending that supports economies anywhere. They have not had a meaningful pay raise in quite some time.

Republicans like to shoot people in the foot, then blame them for not keeping up.

God, I fucking hate Trump so much. Fuck these heartless fucking assholes. When are they going to get what's coming to death (a slow, hopefully painful death)?

[maxrandb]

2. Fed Workers are the Retrumplican perfect "strawman"

Federal Workers, due to some strong unions and collective bargaining, get "good wages", "decent benefits" and a fairly robust "retirement savings, pension" benefit.

Joe "Red Hat" from Dumbfuckistan, PA will be told by the Retrumplicans; "see, the reason you're not getting ahead Joe is NOT because you vote lockstep for a party that wants to kill Unions". It's "Not because you support a party that has the asinine idea that if we just give massive tax-breaks to the wealthy, it will trickle down to the rest of us"

No...See, because to "Joe", it's never his fault, or his stupid fucking vote that explains why his grandmother is living on a can of tuna and a sleeve of saltines for a week....IT'S THE EVIL FEDERAL EMPLOYEE!

Joe will never look at that Federal Employee and ask himself; "why do my wages and benefits suck so much"?? Instead, the Retrumplicans have "conditioned" Joe to look at that employee with envy and hatred.

See, it's NEVER Joe's stupid vote, or support for an AssHat Party that's kept him down. It's his neighbor across the street who's doing a little bit better than him. That's who Joe sees as his "enemy".

Folks like Joe are complete and total morons making $47-53K per year with crap benefits, who see their "true" enemy as their neighbor who is making $49-55K per year with decent benefits.

Fuck Joe!

[alarimer]

8. It's funny that they were talking about paid holidays going away.

That just seems so petty and mean. I'm sure most of us have worked jobs were we didn't get paid time off at all. Too many people still do. It's hard to take time off when you are losing money when you do, but people NEED downtime. We are not machines.

I don't think there are that many, anyway. Perhaps 11 or 12. I'm not sure what you gain by getting rid of them. Would they still close offices on Thanksgiving and Christmas? No one will be going to do business anyway. And it costs money to operate. But I guess they are petty and mean enough to make people take those days off UNPAID. So screw having time with the family the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm sure whoever proposed this doesn't really care about efficiency in operations; it's about screwing people who likely didn't vote for them.

And yes, Joe the Plumber only envies that other people seem to have it better. The divide-and-conquer strategy works.

[maxrandb]

10. Those paid holidays and 40 hour work week

that we all benefit from are HARD FOUGHT BENEFITS the Unions obtained

Retrumplicans want a country of serfs

[alarimer]

12. That's true.

Sadly, unions represent a small fractions of all workers these days and most people seem to think they are unnecessary. They are not, if only because without them we would easily go back to the bad olddays.

[mythology]

5. There are certain federal employees who are overpaid

Trump, Donald; Trump, Ivanka; Kushner, Jared for example.

[alarimer]

7. True

They should pay us back.

[maxrandb]

9. Dont' forget Omaroso

$180K a year plus Cadillac benefits, and you still can't find a fucking person who knows what her job was

[maxrandb]

11. "Please Sir, his crumb is slightly larger than mine

you must make them all smaller" says the Red-Hatted Moron to the rich man at his table when the serf next to him got a slightly larger morsel of bread crumb.

[MiniMe]

3. Can we start all of this with Congress?

Freeze their pay and have them contribute more to health care. And cut back on their retirement

[Johonny]

4. Let's jump start a recession

[Phoenix61]

6. In areas where there are a lot of federal jobs

local employers have to compete for workers. This isn't just about federal jobs it's also about making crappy public sector jobs look better.