As Federal News Radio reported today, a coalition of 15 Federal and Postal organizations sent a letter to President Obama calling on the White House to reject proposals by the Deficit Commission that would cut federal civilian retirement and health benefits, freeze federal pay and reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent.   National Deficit Commission Proposed Big Hits on Feds and Postal Workers, Retirees

“The letter, which was signed by employee and management groups alike, asks the president to reject these proposals and exclude them from the Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal. The letter refutes each proposal, explaining why such actions would be harmful to the federal workforce and agencies’ ability to accomplish their missions.”

“For example, proposed changes to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program would guarantee “additional cost-shifting onto an enrollee population that has suffered major increases in premiums over the past several years,” the letter states.”

“Additionally, “Cutting the federal workforce by 10 percent is more about politics than good human resource management,” particularly when 60 percent of all federal workers will be eligible to retire in the next five years, the letter says.”

Sincerely,

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Federal Aviation Administration Managers Association (FAAMA)
Federal Managers Association (FMA)
Federally Employed Women (FEW)
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE)
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS)
National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS)
National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA)
National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)
Professional Managers Association (PMA)