美国国家公共电台 NPR Federal Employees Face Cuts To Retirement Benefits And Pay Freezes

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Federal employees can be forgiven for feeling whiplashed by the Trump¹ administration. The president has proclaimed this to be Public Service Recognition Week, acknowledging the nation's civil servants for, quote, "their hard work and willingness to serve their fellow citizens." Yet at the same time, the administration wants to cut federal retirement³ benefits and freeze salaries next year. The White House is also considering a broader overhaul⁴ of civil service laws which has employee unions nervous, as NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE⁵: At a breakfast this week, the Partnership⁶ for Public Service recognized a group of outstanding public employees. Among the honorees was Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, who has spent 37 years at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. She is now working on autism research. She says she's had a rewarding career working for the government.

MARSHALYN YEARGIN-ALLSOPP: I love CDC. I love public health. I love the fact that I think we make a difference. Even today, as we had the breakfast, several people came up to me and said that they have children on the spectrum⁷, and they appreciate so much the work that we have done. That means a lot to me.

NAYLOR: While Yeargin-Allsopp is rewarded by her work, the Trump administration is considering changes that might make federal work less rewarding, including a $144 billion cut in federal retirement benefits that would affect current and future retirees. Office of Personnel Management Director Jeff Pon speaking at a town hall on civil service today said he wants working for the government to be more like the private sector⁸ - more flexible, less permanent.

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JEFF PON: And that's a key component⁹ for updating the workforce¹⁰. I don't believe that we should look at a federal job for 30 years and then retire and then have a, you know, lifetime retirement anymore.

NAYLOR: The federal government needs younger workers, says Tom Ross, president of The Volcker Alliance, a nonprofit group working to overhaul the civil service system.

TOM ROSS: We're not doing a great job of attracting young people to government. And we need to do that because the workforce is aging. Forty-one percent of the federal workforce is eligible¹¹ to retire in five years. So we're going to have a crisis.

NAYLOR: But coming to work for the federal government can be a difficult sale to make these days. President Trump implemented¹² a temporary hiring freeze last year and is proposing a pay freeze for next year. Plus there's all that rhetoric¹³ about draining the swamp and the evils of the administrative¹⁴ state. Jessica Klement is vice² president of the National Active and Retired¹⁵ Federal Employees Association.

JESSICA KLEMENT: A 22-year-old about to graduate college - I turn on the news, and I'm hearing about how federal employees don't take care of their veterans. My member of Congress are talking about lazy bureaucrats¹⁶ in Washington and draining the swamp. Is this a workforce I'm stepping into - maybe, maybe not.

NAYLOR: Klement agrees there are changes needed in the rules now 40 years old that govern federal employees' pay and job classifications. It was designed in an era when clerks and clerical workers dominated the government. But Klement says the administration could make other changes if it really wants to operate more like the private sector.

KLEMENT: If we're going to turn to the private sector, then I think it's far past time for the federal government to offer things like paid parental¹⁷ leave, which they currently do not, which is commonplace in large private sector companies.

NAYLOR: While there is agreement that change is needed, it's not clear how much will take place this year when Congress has other things on its mind, like the midterm elections. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

10 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

11 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

12 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

13 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

14 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

15 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

16 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

17 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。