They already make an average 55% more in wages and compensation than private sector workers, get 10 paid holidays, and can be eligible for another 99 paid days off, so when Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson considered giving federal employees an additional free day for Juneteenth, he balked.
“I am happy to celebrate Juneteenth. I think we should celebrate the fact that we did remove that original sin by emancipating slaves,” said Johnson in blocking Senate approval Wednesday.
“I simply don’t believe we should make American taxpayers in the private sector pony up $600 million a year, $6 billion over 10 years, to give federal workers, who already are paid quite generously and have quite a few days off, one more paid day off,” he added.
While certainly a disappointment to the bipartisan drive for a “Juneteenth” holiday, Johnson brought to the debate a revealing calculation of the benefits federal workers receive, taxpayer-funded perks that would make any private worker envious.
At a minimum, he showed in charts, federal employees are eligible for some 96 days of paid leave. That includes 60 days of parental leave. At a maximum, it totals 109 days of paid leave.
That means, said Johnson, those who take the maximum leave get one paid day off for every 1.4 days they work. Those who don’t take the 60 days of paid parental leave but do all their holiday, sick, and vacation time, still get a paid day off for every 4.3 days of work, he showed.
“A four-day workweek for the entire year,” said Johnson. “Quite generous,” he added. His office distributed a release spelling out his numbers and argument.
A businessman before coming to Washington, he also put a price to taxpayers for just one holiday ($600 million) and suggested that giving federal workers a new holiday should be offset by taking a current one away.
Johnson stressed that he wasn’t punishing federal workers, but instead is concerned about the growing federal deficit and the sky-high unemployment rate that deserve more focus than another paid federal holiday.
Under his plan, Johnson said, “They will have the exact same number of days off as they have currently, and the American taxpayer will not be out an extra $600 million per year or $6 billion over 10 years.”
