Defense Wage Committee Meets Behind Closed Doors to Discuss Pay
Published Date: 10/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Defense Wage Committee is holding a series of closed meetings to discuss and recommend fair wages for blue-collar workers in the military. These meetings happen from September to December 2026 and focus on setting wage schedules that affect both government-funded and other DoD employees. If you work in these roles, these talks could impact your pay and work conditions soon.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 2 mixed.
DoD committee advising on blue‑collar wages
The Department of Defense Wage Committee will meet between September 29, 2026 and December 15, 2026 to provide advice and recommendations on conducting wage surveys and establishing wage schedules for appropriated‑fund and non‑appropriated‑fund blue‑collar employees within the Department. If you are a DoD blue‑collar employee, these committee actions relate directly to how wage schedules for your job categories are reviewed and set.
Many local wage areas under review
The meetings will review survey results and survey specifications or wage schedules for numerous named wage areas (for example, Los Angeles AC-130; Boston-Worcester-Providence AC-068; Seattle-Everett AC-143) during the September–December 2026 meeting series. If you work as a DoD blue‑collar employee in one of the listed wage areas, your local wage schedule is under formal review during this period.
Meetings closed; public access limited
All listed DoD Wage Committee meetings are closed to the public under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4) because they are likely to disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information. The meetings therefore will not be open for public attendance during the September 29, 2026 through December 15, 2026 schedule.
Public‑notification waiver for two meetings
The Advisory Committee Management Officer waived the public notification requirement for the September 29, 2026 and October 13, 2026 meetings pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150(b) because the 7‑day notice period could not be met. This means those two meetings proceeded without the usual 7‑day public notice.
How to submit written statements
Interested persons may submit written statements to the Designated Federal Officer at any time, but statements about a specific planned meeting must be submitted no later than five (5) business days before that meeting to be considered for that meeting. Timely statements will be reviewed by the DFO and copies provided to committee members before the meeting.
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