I just finished my Federal taxes for 2012 .....

[Drahthaardogs]

58. Your story has inconsistencies.

Assuming you are a janitor, you are a wage-grade employee, not a GS. If you are a janitor working for the feds, YOU should be happy. Your private sector counterparts get minimum wage and no benefits. There are very few of you left. I have not seen a WG janitor in over 12 years. I have NEVER seem a GS janitor. They were all (quite sadly I might add) contracted away to private industry a long time ago.

As an unskilled laborer, the fact that you have health insurance, a pension, and vacation and sick leave is awesome and far too rare these days. However, despite your protestations to the contrary, those nice benefits were provided to you by your union members at the AFLCIOI. To take the benefits (yes, you do get union wages and benefits, but not Davis-Bacon for unskilled labor) and not pay the dues sounds like a scab to me. Saying they do not benefit you...well that is just spitting in their face. Just an FYI, there is nothing worse than someone who cusses a farmer with a mouthful of food.

As for your pension, that also does not add up. If you have been a janitor for 27 years you are under not under FERS, but CSRS. You don't get Social Security, you have a private account (much like PERA). FERS went into effect in 1987, so you made it, but barely. You should, have the old system, which is known as the "golden handcuffs". If you opted out of CSRS, that was really a bad move on your part.

In addition, if you are (for some weird reason) you are under FERS, you do not have an IRA. You belong to the Thrift Savings Plan which is different and you know it. Your employer also matches the first 5% of your contributions -- you union members say "your welcome". If you are under CSRS, you can still contribute to the TSP, but your employer will not match contributions.


Is this really just a troll on your part to try to make a point?