For Release: For Information:
Thursday, December 23, 1993 Gary Ruskin (202) 296-2787
Nader Criticizes Pay Raises for Top Government Bureaucrats
Calling the 4.23% pay hike for top governmental bureaucrats in Washington-Baltimore a
"shameless attempt at pushing more money into the pockets of the governmental aristocracy,"
Ralph Nader urged President Bill Clinton to revoke locality pay increases to the Senior Executive
Service (SES). The pay raise will cost about $54 million a year.
The Senior Executive Service is comprised of about 8,000 top government officials throughout
the country, though about 6,000 of them live in Washington. They are currently paid $92,900 to
$115,700 per year plus benefits and pensions..
"Bill Clinton has got this one completely backwards: he's playing Santa Claus for elite
government bureaucrats, and scrooge for the rest of America, especially millions of workers
under a frozen minimum wage that is less than ten percent of what these government bureaucrats
receive," said Ralph Nader. "We need a President who is vigilant in preventing wasteful raids on
the public treasury, not a President who is pushable by the Senior Executive Association
lobbyists."
"At a time of enormous budget deficits, service cuts, tax increases, no family income growth
since the late 1970's, and no increase in the minimum wage since April 1991, it is morally wrong
to be giving pay raises to top paid federal government employees," Nader said. "The message
from Washington is: maximum for us, minimum for you, even though Washington is broke."
In addition to the Senior Executive Service, two types of political appointees are slated for pay
increases: non-career Senior Executive Service and Schedule C employees. SES employees in
other parts of the country will be receiving raises from 3.09% to 6.52%. The pay raises will go
into effect next month.
"These pay raises will put the governmental aristocracy further out of touch with the economic
realities of ordinary Americans." According to the Census Bureau, the median annual individual
income in the United States was $15,035 in 1992. The median family income was $36,812. The
federal minimum wage is currently $4.25 per hour.
Senior Executive Service employees received a 22.2% to 29.5% pay hike in 1991, a 3.4% pay
hike in 1992, and a 3.2% pay hike in 1993.
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