Mike Causey

Fear Not

Many feds are downright paranoid over the status of their, maybe, bonus holiday, the reality of their January pay raise or fearful about the 2009 COLA for retir...

Federal News Network Staff

December 11, 2008 4:00 am

3 min read

Just before they took him away, my old uncle (by marriage) said “a little paranoia is a good thing!”

It worked for him: Up to a point!

I been thinking of old Unc over the last few weeks as curious, nervous, anxious and angry feds demand action from the White House/Congress/Somebody over items of keen interest to them, but not necessarily to the rest of the nation.

They are the January federal pay raise, the January cost of living adjustment for retirees and a bonus holiday on Dec. 26th that some feel is an entitlement rather than a gift.

Washington has often been called “The City of the Worried Well.” That’s because folks Beyond the Beltway (which is most people) think we often get our shorts in a twist over the darndest things.

The current fears de jour in DC and in many other federal offices around the country are as follows:

Fear One: President Bush will not give feds a bonus holiday on Dec. 26 because he’s angry about how the election turned out! Huh!

Last I checked he didn’t run for reelection. There is that no third-term-thing. And even if he could have run, he wouldn’t have picked up many votes by promising the rest of the nation that feds would get a bonus day off after Christmas. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, the best way for any candidate to get votes is beat up on the bureaucracy and run against the-mess-in-Washington.

My guess is that the decision to give, or not to give, feds the day off on the 26th will be based on a number of factors, both financial and psychological. Also, there are some even more pressing issues facing the current president, the next president and Congress. It won’t be given or denied either to reward or punish feds.

Fear 2: The belief that Congress and the White House are still locked in a death grip over the 2009 federal pay raise. As in will there be one? And if so how much? Again, huh!

The pay raise was approved some time ago. The only issue is how much of the 3.9 percent increase will be allocated to locality pay raises. This happens every year. It is nearly always decided and announced in late December. The so-called “delay” in announcing it means nothing. It will happen when it happens. We will all know within a couple of weeks what the city-by-city raises will look like. This is how the 2008 federal pay raise (this year’s) looked after locality pay was factored in: How Safe Is Your Job?

Fear 3: That the White House and/or Congress are working on some behind-the-scenes deal to deny federal retirees their January cost of living adjustment. For the third time, huh!

The COLA is fixed by law. It’s been announced. It will happen. It will go to retired feds, military retirees and the jillions of people who also get Social Security benefits. Can you imagine any politician even daring to raise the issue of a COLA delay? Here’s how that works: Best COLA Since 1982 On The Way

Bottom line

The 26th will or will not be a bonus holiday for most feds. What we do know for sure it that it will not be a holiday for 700,000 postal workers, unless they take vacation (if they can get it.) Or for most American workers unless they take a vacation day. Assuming they still have a job.
The federal pay raise is set at 3.9 percent. That’s the law. The city-by-city amount will be determined over the next couple of weeks. The tables will be published (here and elsewhere) when there are tables to publish.
Retirees can rest easy. Their 5.8 percent COLA, the largest since 1982, was never in doubt.

Gotta run. I think somebody is following me!

Nearly Useless Factoid

For the second year in a row, the top choice for car color in the US is white. Silver was the favorite until 2007, and remains the most popular in many regions around the world, including Asia and Russia.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com