Closing the Pay Gap
Abstract
The Association of the United States Army has been in the forefront of the campaign to close the pay gap. AUSA has spoken out-to the American people, to our elected representatives and to the administration. A nation that sends its sons and daughters around the globe-often in harm's way, with no notice and an uncertain return date-has an obligation to ensure that they are adequately paid and that their families enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Even after the recent pay raise, the gap is still much too wide: almost 10 percent. We're one-third of the way there, but we've still got two-thirds to go. It is critical to stay the course and finish the job. The pay gap had reached 13.5 percent by 1998, and contributed to the recruitment, retention and readiness difficulties across all the services. Two years later- with the passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 and FY 2001 Defense bills-the pay gap has been narrowed, hut only to just under 10 percent. And current military compensation legislation does not close the gap until 2026. There will continue to be a pay gap until 2026 unless the next administration and the next Congress provide more for pay above the 1999 legislated ramp- up of .5 percent (one half of one percent) per year to attain pay equality. That means that soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Coast Guardsmen volunteering to serve today would serve a full career before achieving pay equity with their civilian counterparts. It is AUSA's position that the pay gap must be closed by 2006. There is no good reason in a time of unprecedented prosperity that this chronic pay gap should not be eliminated by 2006. Since the end of the draft and the conversion to an all-volunteer military, pay raises for the armed forces have persistently lagged behind private-sector pay growth.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA385608
Entities
Organizations
- Association of the United States Army