Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced that her effort to give hardworking wage-grade federal employees the same raise as salaried employees will be included in the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill, expected to come to a vote today, would fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year and give approximately 800 employees at the Rock Island Arsenal an increase equal to what their salaried counterparts received late last year.
"The hardworking wage-grade employees at the Rock Island Arsenal help manufacture equipment that arms and protects our troops and deserve treatment equal to other federal employees," said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. "That is why I partnered with Democrats and Republicans in an effort to ensure that hardworking wage-grade employees get an honest wage for their work. I'm pleased to see that this paycheck disparity is finally fixed in this bill and look forward to continuing my fight on behalf of Illinois working families."
As part of the deal to reopen the government in October following the government shutdown, salaried federal employees received a 1% raise. However, wage-grade federal employees, including hundreds at the Rock Arsenal, were left out of the deal. This inequity prompted Bustos to work with both Democrats and Republicans to introduce the Wage Grade Employee Parity Act (H.R. 3573) in November. This bipartisan bill would give wage-grade employees the same raise as other federal employees.
The Omnibus Appropriations bill, which reflects a budget agreement between the House and Senate, must now be voted on in both chambers and signed into law by President Obama. In addition to giving a raise to wage-grade employees, the Omnibus bill also includes funding that could be used for the activation of Thomson Prison and several provisions that improve the Rock Island Arsenal's competitiveness and ensure a steady workload for years to come.