Letter to the editor

I totally agree with Milt Zall's points in his Jan. 8 Bureaucratus column ["Pay raise spells trouble"].

As a 26-year-old GS-12 computer specialist, I thought the same things when I heard about the special pay scale. I, too, thought a better approach would be just as you suggested: discreetly moving information technology jobs into higher grades, such as adding GS-13 to the journeyman level, or at least adding more technical grade 13 and 14 positions. They have added more of these, but hardly enough.

As a Grade 12, I was certainly disappointed that 13s and 14s were excluded (why would I aspire to make those higher grades?) and that a GS-5 was getting a 33 percent raise compared to my 7 percent, bringing our rates of pay uncomfortably close together.

And the final kick in the pants was that this special raise was in place of and not in addition to the locality increase. Some raise plan.

Who's happy (besides GS-5s)? I'd rather just have the locality pay and not be upset about this ridiculously unfair pay plan.

Name withheld upon request