WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest survey of federal employees paints a picture of a demoralized workforce that feels less able than ever to successfully accomplish the government's mission, thanks to ineffective leaders and economic policies that have slashed agency budgets at the expense of employees, the head of the largest federal employee union said today.

"The fact that federal employee morale is low should come as no surprise. Federal employees have endured an unprecedented three years of pay freezes, are paying a larger share of their health insurance premiums, and have seen massive cuts to their retirement benefits," American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. said.

"But the outlook is growing bleaker by the year. More employees than ever say their agency is unable to accomplish its mission, and they see less opportunity to improve their skills or get a better job."

According to the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, fully half of employees have little confidence in the ability of senior leaders to effectively communicate the goals and priorities of the organization and believe they lack honesty and integrity. Less than two-thirds would recommend their organization to others as a good place to work.

Cox said agencies could improve their standing with employees by negotiating better collective bargaining contracts. Federal unions can negotiate over items such as working conditions, telework policies, promotion procedures, and employee training.

"Too many agencies have been dragging their feet and blocking our efforts to update contracts to improve working conditions for federal employees," Cox said. "Federal employees and their families have had the most vicious cuts to their living standards over the past five years. Not only does that have to stop, it has to be repaired. Federal employees need to make up lost ground in salary and benefits, and we need good contracts to guarantee fair treatment at work."

Agencies that consistently rank highest on the annual survey are those that pay higher than average salaries and negotiate good contracts, Cox said.

"There are four things that must be done to improve morale and stop this continuing slide we see year after year. Close the gap between federal salaries and salaries paid to people doing the same jobs in the private sector. Restore retirement benefits. Stop shifting health care costs on to workers. And bargain good contracts."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees