Fighting for Federal Employees and Retirees
"I want every federal employee to know I am on their side. Their commitment to public service makes life better for us all."
-Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
-Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
Protecting Federal Jobs
Senator Mikulski is leading the fight to protect federal jobs:
- Spearheaded effort to help government workers compete with private contractors. In 2007, she got several important provisions signed into law to level the playing field for federal employees.
- Fought against privatizing 350 jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
- Opposes quotas for outsourcing federal jobs to private contractors.
- Strongly opposes proposals to alter the personnel system for civilian Department of Defense employees or any other federal workers.
Keeping Federal Jobs in Maryland
Senator Mikulski is working to keep federal jobs and facilities in Maryland:
- Secured more than $800 million since 1991 to consolidate the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) facility at White Oak, Md., to help transform a closed naval base into a world-class federal research facility.
- Fought for new, improved facilities at the Suitland Federal Center, including new Census Bureau and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offices.
- Successfully fought to keep jobs at the Baltimore office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
- Kept jobs at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., by securing ongoing funding for its flagship programs.
- Worked with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the recruitment of researchers, upgrade its campus, and double its funding over a five-year period.
Preserving Pay and Benefits
Senator Mikulski is fighting to make sure that federal employees get the pay and benefits they deserve:
- Fighting for pay parity to make sure federal employee Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) keep pace with military pay raises.
- Championed legislation that makes long-term care insurance available to federal employees and retirees.
- Helping make child care more affordable by extending a program that allows federal agencies to assist employees in paying for child care.
- Advocating for federal retirees to have the option to pay health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis.
Safeguarding Retirement Benefits
Senator Mikulski is fighting to secure federal retiree pay and benefits:
- Championed a law making long-term care insurance available to federal employees and retirees.
- Working to reduce employee premiums in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan.
- Fighting to make sure retirees of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division and U.S. Park Police get the same COLA as active duty officers.
- Passed legislation to extend higher Law Enforcement Officer retirement benefits to Custom and Border Patrol Officers
- Working to modify the Government Pension Offset (GPO) so federal retirees can be eligible to collect at least $1,200 a month in their combined federal pension and Social Security benefits before the GPO is applied.
Fighting for Employment Rights
Senator Mikulski is an advocate for the rights of federal workers:
- Supports collective bargaining rights for all federal employees.
- Worked to pass bill to protect federal employee whistle-blowers from retaliation.
- Supported streamlining the sexual harassment and discrimination complaint process for federal workers and demanded investigations of discrimination in hiring and promotions at several federal agencies.
- Advocates for the employees of the Architect of the Capital (AOC) so there is a more effective and transparent process of handling employee complaints, and fights for them to get overtime and hazardous duty pay.