Keep high value on federal workforce

There’s a new attack in Congress on federal workers, and I urge the members of the Illinois delegation to rise above it. As a retired federal employee and a proud American, I am against a proposed bill (S 644) that would eliminate pensions for all new government hires.

The purpose of this bill is not to save Americans money. This pension program is already paid for largely by federal employees themselves. The real motive is to keep chipping away at the public image of federal employees. How quickly we forget that federal workers ensure that our most basic needs as a society are met — from the safety of the food we eat to the quality of the air we breathe.

Right now, U.S. federal employees are helping Japan recover from disaster as our experts work on the ground to contain the damage of the nuclear power plant catastrophe.

There are more than 51,136 federal employees in Illinois. Changes to policies that affect federal employees in our state also threaten the future of the vital services they perform. Without competitive employment packages that match the value of the services performed by our federal workforce, our government will struggle to attract the best workers to protect us.

When it comes to protecting the people of Illinois, we must not settle for second-tier government personnel. I hope Sen. Kirk and Sen. Durbin agree.

Margaret Murphy

President, Chapter 1309

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association

Arlington Heights