European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Federal pay disparities exodus to the private sector by Dana priest Washington Post Michael Cole and Michael Green Are both 24, married and beginning careers in the Federal government. Cole a mechanical Engineer with a bachelors degree earns $24,705 so does Green a program analyst with a master s degree. But that s where the material likeness ends. Cole a civilian employee at the army missile come in Huntsville ala., lives in a two bedroom $455-a-month apartment. He and his wife a part time nurse own two cars say they live comfortably and have saved enough Money to Start construction on a 2,000-Square-foot, $90,000 Home next Spring. Renee Cole will quit her Job in two years to raise the two children they plan to have. Green who works at nasal a Washington Headquarters lives in a one bedroom $800-a-month apartment in Crystal City va., a suburb of Washington. He and his wife also a Federal employee have one car he can afford insurance because his father pays half the Bill and figure they cannot buy a Home or Start a family for another five years. Quot it s even Tough to buy clothes Quot lamented Green. Quot when we were in College we were Able to eat out More than we do  for 42 years the Federal government has lived by the simple Creed that equity an inalienable right of the careerists in an apolitical bureaucracy meant uniformity. All employees at the same Grade level on the Federal pay scale received the same pay. But growing regional disparities in the Cost of living and annual raises that fell far behind inflation Are now blamed for a panoply of bureaucratic maladies the failure to attract Bright employees the exodus of Large numbers of professionals to the private sector and campaigns by High profile agencies to get special pay increases for their employees in High Cost cities. The disparities also make it hard for Agency Headquarters in Washington to attract employees from regional offices in Low Cost areas. Congress is expected to consider scrapping the old system and replacing it with pay Scales linked to local labor Market wages. The Point behind the change is simple Federal employees who make the same amount of Money should be Able to live in similar style regardless of where they reside. Now according to workers and experts they do not. In Low Cost areas government employees feel financially secure and Are sometimes even the top wage earners in town while those who live in expensive cities sometimes rank themselves at the Bottom of the Middle class. Take 22-year-old Lisa Campbell who earns $17,393 As a Gas Secretary. After nearly five years of government work she still has to live with her father in Annandale va., because she can t find an apartment she can afford. But Lori Garner a Secretary for the comptroller s office of the missile come in Huntsville who earns the same As Campbell lives in a spacious one bedroom $175-a-month apartment and after five years with the government recently went looking for a House to buy. At the other end of the pay scale which employees climb As they gain seniority and skills Are folks like Huntsville government physicist Jerry Arszman and Michael Barna an information officer with the Bureau of mines in Washington. Arszman earns $63,164, Barna $71,060. Both have worked for the government for More than 15 years and consider themselves in mid career. They Are in the top 10 percent of the 2.4 million civilian Federal wage ill Low Cost areas government employees feel financially secure and Are sometimes even the top wage earners in town while those who live in expensive cities sometimes rank themselves at the Bottom of the Middle class earners and both Are at Points in their careers where financial pressures Are supposed to be slacking off. The men share the belief that serving the Public is meritorious. They both enjoy their jobs and have no immediate plans to leave. Neither pleads poverty but they describe their lives very differently. Arszman lives in a 3,000-Square-foot House in the upper Middle class part of town on the Hills to the East of Huntsville once a Cotton town of 35,000. Today the population is 140,000,14,000 of whom Are military and civilian government employees. Arszmann a wife Carole recently went Back to work As a school teacher. They have two children take vacations to Florida have three cars have saved a Small nest egg for their children a College education and when asked if they Are wanting for anything they think they should be Able to afford at this stage in their lives they look at each other and shrug their shoulders. Quot we live a comfortable life Quot they answer. David and Linda Barna and their three children live on the Edge. Quot we have a Nice House a Nice family. We live Fine but we have no Money Quot said David Barna. Quot i could probably put my hands on $400 if i had  Linda Barna does not work and the couple lives in Tho 2,600-Square-foot Home they bought 10 years ago. The neighbors they had then have moved on to More expensive neighbourhoods replaced said David Barna by Young families with Young children. Quot they am us 10 years ago Quot he said. Five years ago Barna joined the naval reserves in part to help make ends meet. He has car pooled to work for 10 years. The couple has been on Only one out of state vacation in 17 years and their 16-year-old son does not have his Driver s License because they cannot afford to add him to their insurance which would then Cost $1,200. The major financial debate this month has been whether they can afford $60 for swimming lessons for one child. Quot i m right Square dead Middle class Quot said Barna a gs-15. Quot if you a have told me 10 years ago that i d be a gs-15,1 would have said Fine let s build the Castle right now Quot for the past 12 years Federal employees have lost considerable ground in comparison with the private sector. This year the presidents pay advisers reported Tho Gap Between Public and private sector pay averaged about 30 percent a wider in High Cost than in Low Cost areas. The pay Reform would also attempt to address the general Gap by annually adjusting Federal wages using some version of the employment Cost Index which measures changes in private sector wages. There have been efforts in the past to Reform Tho uniform pay scale that were rebuffed time and again by employee concerns that the formula for paying workers different salaries depending on where they lived would be too complicated and would ultimately become unfair and subject to political pressures. Quot there Are people All Over the country who won t mind citing to their congressman that someone in another locale is earning More than they Are Quot said Ray Kline president of the National Academy of Public administrators. Quot but the business of equity has got to be addressed not Only in the context of one Public servant compared to the other but compared to people outside  the ipes 0 my a Iraq s death threat angers edgy West Wilm do ten Amati i Impi a us ova pc Twarda 0 lie Iii to dip Kimii to a Chat la Law Ltd Uruchi to no Cir rut nuut it Tui tap it 44 tatty m Ritova want to Usu maa Rathl. 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