WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. today issued the following statement in response to President Obama's announcement that federal employees will receive a 1.3% pay increase in January:

American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. addresses delegates during the union's triennial convention in Orlando in August. AFGE is the largest federal employee union in the country, representing 670,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide.

"It's hard for federal employees to get excited about the prospect of a 1.3 percent pay raise when their pay rose only 2% over the past five years, when they're paying more for health insurance, more into a retirement system that's fully funded, and like so many other working class Americans have seen their standard of living deteriorate as wages fail to keep pace with rising costs for groceries, medicine and other necessities.

"Federal employees and all working people deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and that includes wages and salaries that at least keep pace with rising living costs. A 1.3 percent pay raise simply doesn't cut it, and we will continue to work with our allies in Congress on a more meaningful wage increase going forward."

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

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