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It’s Official: Pay Parity Coming for McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst WorkersOPM to issue long-awaiting regulations boosting paychecks & enhancing joint basing Wednesday

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Washington, Nov 29, 2016 | Jeff Sagnip ((202) 225-3765) | comments

  • An Air Force C-17, similar to the ones already stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, taking fuel from KC-46 tanker. (illustration)

  • A February 2015 missions briefing took place at the N.J. National Guard Headquarters on Joint Base McGuire Dix-Lakehurst. Cong. Smith is on left, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is at center, and Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen is at right.

  • Joint Base McGuire Dix-Lakehurst is the second largest employer in New Jersey. At a recent briefing, Cong. Smith is shown second from the right. The Joint Base stretches 20 miles across, and hosts over 38,000 military personnel and civilians daily.

  • A NJ National Guard Blackhawk helicopter carrying the NJ Congressional Delegation flew from Picatinny Arsenal to Earle Naval Weapons Station, the final base to be visited on Feb. 6, 2015.

  • Nine Members of the N.J. Congressional Delegation, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and military officials and staff in an auditorium at Picatinny Arsenal. Cong. Smith is second from the left.

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Tom MacArthur (NJ-03) announced today that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will issue final regulations tomorrow (Nov. 30) that will move all Federal Wage System (FWS) employees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL) into the New York locality pay area. Roughly 600 employees located on the former McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix will see their pay increased as a result of tomorrow’s final decision.

  “OPM’s announcement is a big win for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and our local community: the elimination of this outdated, pre-BRAC policy means the men and women of the Joint Base’s workforce will finally be paid equally and fairly,” said Smith, who represents half of the Joint Base, which is located in Burlington and Ocean counties. As the author of legislation, the Joint Base Pay Parity Act (HR 2790) aimed at prodding OPM to act, Smith praised the decision, stating: “OPM’s decision will also further enhance effective and efficient installation management by allowing the JB-MDL’s commander to move civilian employees as necessary.”

 "Over the last two years, I have seen first-hand the importance of ensuring pay parity for wage grade workers at the base.,” said MacArthur, who also represents half of the Joint Base. “I have actively advocated for this proposal along with my colleague Chris Smith, and it brings me great joy to know that hard working families in South Jersey will finally earn the pay they deserve. This is vital for morale and will ensure that military leaders have the flexibility they need in order to successfully run Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst."

  Following an October 15, 2015 recommendation by the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to make this change, the proposed regulations were issued on July 20th of this year. Smith and MacArthur then sent a letter to OPM Acting Director Beth Cobert requesting that she take action to issue final regulation and implementation guidelines as expeditiously as possible.

  The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) created 12 joint bases, including what is now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. After the Joint Base was formally established in 2009, Smith and the New Jersey Delegation lobbied OPM to include McGuire AFB and Fort Dix employees in the New York region (of which the Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station had long been a part) to establish parity across the installation. OPM responded by designating the General Schedule employees for better locality pay, but that regulation applied to white collar workers did not include the wage grade employees. The New Jersey Delegation continued the fight and strongly pushed for a full correction to bring full pay parity to all employees at the base. 

  JB-MDL is the largest employer in the region, second only to the State of New Jersey as the largest employer in the Garden State, and contributes $6.9 billion annually to the regional economy.  After a 30-day implementation period, the scheduled pay increase is expected to take effect the first pay period of the 2017, starting on Jan. 8.

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