Border Patrol Union Applauds Senate Passage of Pay Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 16,500 Border Patrol agents and support staff, applauds Senate passage of legislation to reform the Border Patrol pay system.

The Senate passed S. 1691 on Thursday by voice vote. AFGE urges swift passage in the House.

AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. praised Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and John McCain of Arizona for introducing the legislation and thanked cosponsors Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and John Cornyn of Texas. Cox also thanked Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Tom Carper of Delaware and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada for their help in securing Senate passage.

"This legislation is absolutely crucial for bringing stability and predictability to Border Patrol pay and will make a huge, positive contribution to our agents' ability to provide the most effective border security," Cox said.

The legislation would provide officers with a fair and equitable pay system while actually lowering the amount the government spends on Border Patrol payroll. The current pay scheme has been applied inconsistently and has been subject to much political manipulation in the context of budget debates.

"We still have a lot of work to do as this is not yet a done deal. But we are grateful for all of those elected representatives that put an awful lot of work into getting this through the Senate," AFGE National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd said.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

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