Do Federal Employees really need another day off?

[MessiahRp]

Besides the fact that they receive much better pay and benefits than their civilian counterparts, it strikes me that they get another day off of work. It seems my local Mailman is off a ton of days already for holidays that usually doesn't fit with their personal backgrounds, or on days other employees in other businesses don't get off. Schools don't even get some of the holidays off they get. Most definitely the regular workers aren't getting these days off.

Most regular workers work holidays and Sundays, and any other Federal days off.

So now that Reagan is dead, they're giving them another day off as a "National Day of Mourning". I don't know if they do, but just watch as it's a paid benefit to them.

And beyond the average Government worker, this is yet another excuse for our elected Congress to not have to work, when the Republicans in office already have tried to take non-stop vacation (and will all year) to use their majority as a political tool to act as if it's the Democrats that won't let bills get through.

I guess it just peeves me as someone who can't find a job at the moment and is struggling mightily and not to mention this man was divisive and mean spirited towards people of my financial class, that Government employees whom have a lot more security in their jobs, better pay and benefits get yet another day off...

I can't remember where but it was mentioned on Washington Journal today that it will cost the Government $423 Million to allow the Federal Workers off because of Reagan.

Does this bother anyone else?

Rp

[quinnox]

1. News to me

I didn't know they were going to give them the day off Friday, I have a friend who works for the government, lucky guy.

[molly]

2. It's not their fault - they were not given a choice

:shrug:

[soothsayer]

3. I originally thought it was just DC workers, cuz the traffic will be so

nightmarish, but to extend it to the whole gov is....an election year ploy!

[rpannier]

4. No

It doesn't bother me. Getting a day off for the death of a President has been going on for some time. My father was a federal judge, he got off work when Eisenhower died, Johnson died, and I think he also got off when Nixon died. It's just the way it is.
I live and work in Korea. I work for the Korean government. So it doesn't affect me. I get very few days off, but I don't begrudge others getting days off.

[bryant69]

5. I think this has been done before.

But this is a little bit convienent on the political side as well.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Kong]

6. Full of .....

You know if you keep going around saying things like:

"Besides the fact that they receive much better pay and benefits than their civilian counterparts"

That people just might get the feeling that you don't understand the facts. The disparity between pay for the federal work force and their civilian counterparts now has the Federal side down by close to 20%, even though there is a law that says they must operate at parity. It was the one great failing of Clinton that he, his predecessor, and his successor have all treated the Federal worker like an unwanted stepchild. This is a trend that Reagan really got rolling with the dumping of 11,000 Air Traffic Controllers.

So, get your facts right before you say things that simply are not true.

[quinnox]

7. Yea

the post makes it sound like federal employees are rich people, believe me, they aren't.

[MessiahRp]

10. In my experience

the pay is at least $2-3 more an hour for similar positions and the health care benefits alone make that pay difference substantial.

No Federal Employees are not rich, but civilians in similar positions (and please let's be honest and cut out the numbers of the upper tier management salary because we all know civilian corporations pay the top guys nearly all of the money spent on salaries throughout the companies) make usually considerably less when you factor in benefit advantages and different in hourly wage.

Rp

[quinnox]

13. It's true they get good benefits

I'm just saying that from my experience, (a friend has worked for government for over 10 years) I have seen his friends lifestyle who also work there and it is not upper middle class even, I would say middle class.

[johncoby2]

8. As a Federal Employee, yes it bothers me.

First it bothers me that we got a day off. But remember, according to bush, reagan was a president for the common man, just like bush. :puke:

Second it bothers me that you dont have your facts correct. We (NASA) have historically been underpaid, but we have good insurance which we pay for, we have decent vacation, we have GREAT sick leave policy which truly provides protection for our families, and we love what we are doing.

It is something ALL Americans would want. Decent pay, health insurance, great sick leave policy, decent vacation. NASA has been listed as the best places to work given the above with turnover very small.

It is a shame that we cant get his for all workers in the US.

Oh, by the way, while others were looking for work, bush gave federal employees a 4.5% increase in salary. Go figure. Even I was embarrassed.

[DarkPhenyx]

9. Speaking as a "Federal Contractor", sort of...

...who gets Fed holidays off I say YES! Definately need another one.

[Cobalt Violet]

11. It bothers me

They all ready have presidents day off. Which is suppose to honor all the dead presidents. What do you think if it were Clinton or Carter who died, would they want all federal worker to have a day off almost a week later?

[MessiahRp]

14. I think the way it goes

is that all Presidents get this day, but unless the President is in office or just shortly out of it when they die we shouldn't be doing this. The deficit is huge already and now we're down another $423 million just like that out of our budget to cover this. Even in death Reagan is running a deficit I guess.

I understand this for Kennedy because of the shock people were in... I don't understand this for Reagan who was essentially invisible since the announcement of his Alzheimer's in '94.

Rp

[Estel]

12. Where did you get the idea

that government workers get better pay and benefits?? That is BS. I am a chemical engineer with a master's degree and work for the Environmental Protection Agency. All the friends I went to school with make twice as much as me with comparable benefits and time off. I could have gone into private industry, but chose government because I am too idealistic for my own good (that's also why I'm a Democrat). Imagine what EPA puts up with during Republican administrations. Yes, government employees got a day off tomorrow... but consider that a very large percent of them are in DC and traffic will be at a standstill. And yes, it might cost the government $423 million, but that would have been paid anyway if employees were at work... most have the same amount of work, just one less day to do it. What makes this so funny is Reagan treated government employees like shit!! We deserve this.

[johncoby2]

15. We deserve this.

Good point.

[Blue Wally]

18. Government Pay

In general, administrative and clerical employees of the federal government do better than their civilian counterparts while engineering and scientific personnel do less well in terms of salary. Ther eis sort of an ebb and flow of engineers in and out of the federal government. In good times, they bail out and in bad times, they try to burrow back in.


Under the heading of "only Nixon could go to China", one of the worst screwings federal employees ever got was when the Carter administration revamped the civil service retirement system.

[Yupster]

19. May not be that way in your case, but

as a stock broker, I work with government and non-government employees.

Overall, I'd say government employees make more money comparitively. They certainly have incredibly more job security, and they have much, much better benefits.

Probably not true in the very skilled jobs where industry will pay much to get them, but most jobs aren't that way. Most government jobs are more office-worker in nature, or task oriented like a mailman.

[demnan]

16. No

what really bothers me as a Federal Contractor is that I have to take Friday off and use my own leave or make up the hours. I should at least be allowed to work the day if they aren't giving me the hours off.

In effect I'm being robbed of a vacation day, unlike the Federal workers who are getting a day. Why? Because I work to support a federal contract.

[bleedingheart]

17. I think its absolutely hysterical and hypocritical of the GOP

they are suppposed to be the party of "get things done"... "work work work"....
but they wasted two days of Congress to eulogize over that evil man...and then they are giving the government a day off...its absolutely hysterical....and better yet...we are at WAR ....we need to be working on the business of our country.

[Yupster]

20. Ironic since

government workers voting for Reagan was probably pretty rare. Unions overall hated him pretty passionately.