U.S. base German employees get 2.4 pay raise, U.S military 1 percent

Our Military is getting only a 1.0 percent pay raise. So folks are unhappy working for the good ole USA over in Germany and want to go on strike? I have a better idea. Bring all our military home. Let Germany and the E.U. start spending their money on defense. I am tired of the world living large on our dime. We are already stretched way too thin. We are now fighting Ebola – I say enough of this nonsense. They end up getting 2.4 raise. So unfair.

Stars and Stripes

Thousands of local nationals working for the U.S. government and other foreign forces in Germany will see their wages increased by 2.4 percent, retroactive to Sept. 1, ver.di, the union representing the workers, announced Wednesday.

The agreement on the new 12-month contract came early on the second day of salary negotiations Wednesday in Bonn between the union and representatives from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance and the militaries of the United States, United Kingdom, France and Canada.

Those discussions were preceded by widespread protests by union members throughout Germany, including one Monday in Landstuhl, where hundreds of local civilians working for the U.S. and other foreign militaries in the Rhineland Palatinate didn’t show up for work to protest stagnant wages.[...]

“We consider this as a good result,” said Jürgen Dehnert, spokesman for the Rhineland Palatinate region of ver.di, on Wednesday.

Dehnert said he did not know what the average wage increase would be.

Achim Meerkamp, a board member of ver.di, said the agreement struck was acceptable, “especially when you consider the fiscal situation of the foreign forces and their plans to save money,” he was quoted in a union press release.

The pay raise also will apply to local nationals slated to lose their jobs because of pending U.S. military post closures.

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Filed under: Government Tagged: Germany, Military, Pay raise, wages