In the Press...
Burlington Co. Times News Article on Smith/MacArthur Efforts for Jt. Base Workers'Equal pay on joint base to take effect on Jan. 8'By DAVID LEVINSKY, BCT STAFF WRITER - Hundreds of civilian workers on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst can expect a boost in pay before the end of the year thanks to the impending correction of a long-standing pay disparity issue. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management plans to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register this week to designate the entire joint base in the higher-paying New York wage area, rather than split between New York and the lower-paying Philadelphia wage area, according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th of Hamilton. About 600 civilian workers on the Fort Dix and McGuire sections of the base will be impacted by the change. The change follows years of lobbying by Smith and other members of New Jersey's congressional delegation. Smith, who is the longest-serving member of the state's delegation, cheered the administration's move, saying it was long overdue. "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is one installation and the men and women who work there are part of one workforce," Smith said in a statement Monday night. "While long overdue, OPM's move to fix this outdated policy -- which pays some workers at a lower rate for the same jobs performed across the base -- is a welcomed step and should be implemented expeditiously." U.S Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Tom MacArthur also applauded the news. "I am pleased that at the urging of myself and the rest of the New Jersey Congressional delegation, the Office of Personnel Management has agreed to bring long-overdue pay equity to all civilian workers at JBMDL," Menendez said Monday. "This is an important step towards, not only recognizing the hard work and contributions of all civilian employees at the Joint Base, but providing important consistency in policy that further implements the concept of joint basing." "As a new member of Congress, I repeatedly heard about the importance of ensuring parity for wage grade workers at the base. I have actively and passionately supported this proposal, and it brings me great joy to know that hard working families in South Jersey will finally earn the pay they deserve," MacArthur, R-3rd of Toms River, said. "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." The wage disparity was caused when the joint base was formed in 2009 from the formerly separate installations of Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base and Lakehurst Naval Engineering Station. Workers at Lakehurst, which is in Ocean County, earn higher salaries or hourly wages because that portion of the base is in the New York pay area. Fort Dix and McGuire employees with the same jobs earn lower pay because their former installations are considered in the Philadelphia area. The issue was first addressed in 2009 by Smith and other lawmakers, including Menendez; former Rep. Rob Andrews, of the 1st Congressional District; and late Rep. John Adler, of the 3rd District. The delegation pressured the OPM to agree to raise the salaries of civilians working on McGuire and Dix to the higher Lakehurst rate. But the change was approved for salaried workers. The disparity for the "wage scale" employees remained, despite repeated requests for the administration to make the change for the remaining employees. Last year, Smith and MacArthur sponsored legislation in the House to mandate that the disparity be corrected on the joint base and any other installation where a similar disparity occurs as a result of an installation merger or reorganization. MacArthur also added language to the House version of this year's National Defense Authorization Act to fix the disparity, and the entire delegation continued to pressure the OPM. A key move came in October, when the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee recommended the change. The 11-member committee is charged with studying the federal government's prevailing rate system and issuing recommendations to the Office of Personnel Management about potential changes and other related issues. More recently, Smith sent a letter to the office's acting director requesting the change. "These employees work on the same installation -- not only as the salaried employees in the higher-pay locality area, but as the wage-grade employees on the former Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station -- and they are unfairly paid 7 percent less than their counterparts for the same work," Smith said in the letter. "Again, I urge you to accept FPRAC's recommendations and issue final regulations that fix this outdated policy that pays some employees at a lower rate for the same job performed across the base." Once the rule proposal is published in the registry this week, there will be a 30-day public comment period before final regulations can be adopted. Smith's office estimated that the change should be implemented before the end of the year. |