Tag: public servants

Public Servants Are Losing Their Foothold in the Middle Class

The following article by Patricia Cohen and Robert Gebeloff was posted on the New York Times website April 22, 2018:

Shala Marshall has taught for 17 years, has a master’s degree and has been a finalist for Oklahoma teacher of the year. Her adjusted gross income is $28,000, she said, and “I can’t support a family on that.” Credit Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times

OKLAHOMA CITY — The anxiety and seething anger that followed the disappearance of middle-income jobs in factory towns has helped reshape the American political map and topple longstanding policies on tariffs and immigration.

But globalization and automation aren’t the only forces responsible for the loss of those reliable paychecks. So is the steady erosion of the public sector.

For generations of Americans, working for a state or local government — as a teacher, firefighter, bus driver or nurse — provided a comfortable nook in the middle class. No less than automobile assembly lines and steel plants, the public sector ensured that even workers without a college education could afford a home, a minivan, movie nights and a family vacation. Continue reading “Public Servants Are Losing Their Foothold in the Middle Class”

HUD boss Carson sings a new tune about federal workers as finalists are honored for their good works

The following article by Joe Davidson was posted on the Washington Post website May 10, 2017:

Federal employee finalists for the Service to America Medals gathered at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday for a breakfast in honor of their accomplishments. (Aaron Clamage/www.clamagephoto.com)

The bacon was still on the tables at a Capitol Hill breakfast honoring federal employees Tuesday when Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson admitted to a wake-up call.

He had heard, he said, that government employees “didn’t work very hard.”

But once he actually learned about them — after he became head of a major federal agency — he found the workers “are extremely dedicated” to their jobs.

His remarks were reminiscent of President Trump, another government rookie, who said “nobody knew health care could be so complicated.” Continue reading “HUD boss Carson sings a new tune about federal workers as finalists are honored for their good works”

‘I Can’t Get Out Fast Enough’: Meet the Feds Who Say They’re Leaving Under Trump

The following article by Eric Katz was posted on the Government Executive website January 27, 2017:

“Most people are pretty somber,” says Antoinette Henry, a long-time employee at the Housing and Urban Development Department. “They’re either quiet or manic.”

Henry has worked as a career civil servant for 33 years. She had planned to stay at the department and apply for a promotion, as her boss recently left federal service. When President Trump took office, however, those plans changed.

“I think I’m going to go,” she said. “There’s too much uncertainty.” Continue reading “‘I Can’t Get Out Fast Enough’: Meet the Feds Who Say They’re Leaving Under Trump”