Head of Largest Federal Employee Union Blames Congressional Policies for Low Morale at Government Agencies

Federal employees feel "devalued, dispirited and discouraged" due to budget cutbacks, AFGE leader says

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Federal employee morale is at an all-time low according to a new governmentwide survey, and the leader of the nation's largest federal employee union faulted Congress for pushing policies that favor spending cuts over economic growth.

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"Pay freezes, furloughs and budget cutbacks are the reasons why federal employee morale is in the dumps, and lawmakers who have been leading the charge to slash government spending with abandon have no one to blame but themselves," American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. said.

A report released today by the Partnership for Public Service, "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government," says 57.8 percent of federal employees are satisfied in their jobs, which is the lowest it's been since the survey began in 2003. The Partnership report is based on the Office of Personnel Management's annual survey of the government's more than 2 million workers.

Federal employees have had their pay frozen for an unprecedented three consecutive years, and many lost a week of wages this summer due to sequestration-related furloughs. New federal employees are being required to pay substantially more toward their retirement to help pay down the U.S. deficit. Meanwhile, budget cuts due to sequestration have resulted in hiring freezes, cutbacks in employee training and other reductions that have impaired service delivery to the public at many agencies.

"Politicians have been telling federal employees for years that they're not worth receiving a fair wage, that their jobs aren't worth funding, that the services they deliver to the American people aren't as important as continuing to subsidize Wall Street corporations with lucrative tax breaks," Cox said.

"Should it come as any surprise that federal employees feel devalued, dispirited and discouraged? Federal employees join the government to serve their country and give back to the community, but some politicians have turned them into the enemy and made them the scapegoat for all of the country's problems."

Rather than targeting federal employees and services for harmful cuts, Congress should focus on reforming our broken tax system and investing in programs and projects that will create good-paying jobs and restore the U.S. as an economic leader in the 21^st century, Cox said.

"Slashing government spending for vital programs that benefit millions of Americans won't create a single new job, and going after the pay and benefits of federal employees won't make the government more efficient," Cox said. "Hopefully this report will serve as a wake-up call to members of Congress."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees