Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (PA) introduced the Locality Pay Equity Act in both the U.S. House and Senate.

Under the current system, the locality boundaries for salaried workers are based on metropolitan markets, while the boundaries for hourly workers are still based on 1950s era military installation placements. This has led to a significant pay gap at the Tobyhanna Army Depot.

Hourly employees at Tobyhanna are included in the Scranton wage area, which is part of a locality pay area called “Rest of U.S.” (RUS). Salaried employees at Tobyhanna, however, have been placed in the New York City region. As a result, salaried employees earn 25 percent more than their wage-earning counterparts.

The Locality Pay Equity Act would close this gap by applying the pay boundaries for salaried employees to hourly workers. This would only raise the wages of hourly employees; it would not affect the salaried employees in any way.

“There’s no reason we should be using two different sets of pay boundaries, especially when it results in such an unfair wage gap,” said Rep. Cartwright. “Senator Casey and I agree that it’s time to fix this outdated system. This is a simple solution that ensures all Tobyhanna employees are paid fairly for their work, regardless of whether they are paid a salary or by the hour.”

“All employees, regardless of pay schedule, should be treated equally,” said Senator Casey. “It’s long past time that we address this ongoing issue at Tobyhanna and Letterkenny. Workers at these army depots are serving our Nation and deserve fair treatment from the federal government. This legislation would put an end to these pay disparities and create a more equitable compensation system.”

This legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees.

Republican Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) is also a co-sponsor of this bill in the U.S. House.