My job is technically not a job. It’s a fellowship where my salary is called a stipend. Taxable income but not employment.
This organization based our stipend off the GS levels for federal jobs. For ease, I’m making up numbers here. I got “hired” in 2018 and let’s say the pay scale (monthly) was as follows:
GS-5: $3000
GS-7: $3800
GS-9: $4700
GS-11: $5700
GS-12: $6800
Now, someone “hired” in 2021 has a pay scale adjusted for cost of living. Let’s say:
GS-5: $3100
GS-7: $3900
GS-9: $4800
GS-11: $5800
GS-12: $6900
Let’s say I’m at GS-9, hired in 2018. They will not change my pay scale to the 2022 scale. They say because I’ve gotten raises (performance based) that increased my salary to more than the 2022 base pay of $4800, I don’t need an adjustment for cost of living. I feel that anyone hired pre-2022 should have their base pay set to 2022 scale. So if they have not received a raise, then $4800, and if they have then $4800 plus my 6% raise or plus the dollar amount, just some acknowledgement that I should be compensated accounting for cost of living AND performance.
How would this work if I were actually a federal employee? Am I wrong about how it should work?