WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The largest independent federal union said Monday it will continue to press for civilian-military pay parity, despite its lack in the new budget.
The fiscal 2006 budget proposed by President George W. Bush calls for pay raises next year of 3.1 percent for members of the military and 2.3 percent for federal civilian workers.
The National Treasury Employees Union said it supports the higher raise for both groups.
"Pay parity is an important concept," said NTEU president Colleen Kelley. "It sends a message to federal employees that their dedicated efforts are valued and appreciated."
Kelly said there is early and growing support in both the House and Senate for pay parity, but "federal employees should not be under any illusions about the difficulty of achieving pay parity" for next year.
With this kind of a tight budget, she said, there will be great pressure from the administration for Congress to hold to the president's budget proposal.
