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Leave federal workers out of 'fiscal cliff' deal?

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    Powerful unions pushing Congress

  • Duration 5:14
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Leno -- alone and that fiscal cliff nears a group representing more than two dozen federal employee unions telling congress not that -- their pay and benefits when it comes to any debt deal.

They say quote.

No other group has been asked to financially.

Contribute the way they have.

And Gary -- you say watt.

Yeah I don't understand that Friday comes from two perspectives one you know we've talked about on the show before in like for like jobs including the the benefits and wages government employees make out a lot better than their counterparts in the private sector that's number one so on that they've been discriminate against.

True the unemployment rate per government workers is about heading off of what -- unemployment rate is for general population is about.

-- to -- some -- they've been doing fabulously.

On the backs of the private sector which has suffered so asking them do contribute a little bit more.

I think it's quite fair.

Well Steve we have seen federal workers have a -- -- and we have seen them contribute more to.

To -- -- your retirement plans have they done enough already.

They have done enough but they're -- to have to do more but Garry -- wrong.

White collar federal workers don't do as well as their counterparts in a private sector blue collar workers do.

But white collar workers don't but we're talking over a trillion dollars here we're talking and national crisis we're talking about something they can bring the country down the world economy down.

Everybody's gonna have to do more -- stroke they got a little head start date their wages were frozen.

What there -- gonna happen that federal workers as well as.

Just about everybody who's touched by the federal budget is going to have to make big sacrifices were.

We have to include benefits when you're talking about yeah hey Steve that's an important thing that but -- you know we we talk about there they.

They had eight pastries there's some millions of Americans who have a lots of their pay they've seen pay cuts not just a freeze.

Have have they have the federal workers contributed that much more than private workers with such an unemployment.

Braves they've seen their -- disappear they've lost their jobs and we haven't seen as many federal workers lose their jobs have you wanted.

Break down the numbers it is true that maybe there's our -- are higher for white white car workers with their retirement plans are significantly better.

And they can retire earlier and have a much longer pension.

Those pensions are largely absent from the private sector now so they do have a better deal.

And they have a lot more job security so yes I think I would being that the hand that feeds them is suffering.

Then they needed.

Be willing to take some more cuts in and if you don't like it then you can go on to the private sector and lead that public sector job.

Well -- -- is it a burden.

Just taxpayers with tax increases or spending cuts or whatever nine dollars and not fair it's not possible because there's so much wrong with the budget it and the only way -- did the beauty of the Clinton -- its economy across the board needs to be across the board both on the on the tax increases and the spending cuts the -- -- carving out groups that either aren't gonna get a tax increase on some level.

Or the -- -- spending cut to the government needs to do.

The holdings and unravel as the capital of the health care plan -- like certain kinds of them with a Cadillac plans are gonna get this then they got the unions are not involvement in the hedge fund limited side dating to that thing.

You can't do that here like we got too much of -- budget gap.

And yet they took to pay freezes -- low inflation times like we're now that's not as part of -- as it sounds like to have you paid merely frozen when prices only -- to one or 2% a year.

So no -- to -- taxes across the board.

Spending cuts across the board particularly to federal state and local workers well -- leave me alone is that fair for federal workers say.

What well let me loves her to visit we've been picking up that but to Gary's point if that's being picked on that you don't -- drove it a briar patch everything that's -- really feels like.

Hey not -- at this point now we're not even talk about the state for -- but at the federal level.

-- -- -- the good -- I guess is is that the cost of the federal workers relative to the you know budget deficits -- Medicare Medicare Ers are smiled up that that it's it's somewhat of a sideshow but the idea that were picking on them and they're not -- -- right -- get out to the real world would have seen.

That federal work I look I think federal workers all they do don't blame them they get up and go to work and do their jobs this isn't their fault.

But yes they're going to have to give more hey I just argued in favor of union represented occasion they're union representatives say hey leave us alone that's good for -- out.

But overall everybody's gonna have to give everybody -- me.

Well look it if it's it's -- via federal workers have it's a bit try to get a job in the federal soccer it's almost impossible.

These -- that's how bad it is.

Well but don't.

There have been there have been layoffs in the federal sector as well.

There has they haven't had a harder ride -- states because the state truly how to get their -- going tighter before the federal government the federal numbers only now altering addressed seriously these issues so I think the state workers have taken it harder than the final orders up to this point and now I think about orders -- up to come in there.

And essentially joined in the misery of the say workers and in tightening budgets.

Tough times for everybody all right thanks guys.

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