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Show Government pay According to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, average pay of the federal government's blue-collar workers greatly exceeds average pay for workers in the private sector of the economy. In 1982, government blue-collar pay averaged $20,029 a year, compared with $16,805 in the private sector, or 22.8 percent higher. These figures are worth remembering remember-ing when you read somewhere that government employees are entitled to catch-up raises to reach the level or similar workers in private business or industry. Bureaucrats claim their jobs are more difficult and complex. But is that true? "Take postal workers," says Martin I.efkowitz. a senior economist for the Chamber. "Is their work more complicated or difficult dif-ficult to perform than the average job in private industry'' Yet, postal workers, largely represented by labor unions, earn an average of $2(1,000 a year compared to average pay of $16. l!o."i for private industry." |