When President Barack Obama gave federal workers a 1 percent payraise at the start of the year, employees at the U.S. CommodityFutures Trading Commission (CFTC) assumed they'd get the boost.They didn't.

In a brief e-mail last week, the CFTC said the cost-of-livingincrease wouldn't kick in until August paychecks. While the agencyprovided no explanation, employees chalked it up to budget woesthat forced the derivatives regulator last week to quietly obtainan emergency infusion of funds just to keep its doors open,according to four people familiar with the situation.

The escalating budget crisis has spurred unrest within the700-person agency and hampered its work, the people said. More thana dozen senior employees, many complaining of low pay, have quitfor jobs on Wall Street or at law firms. Others at the CFTC'sWashington headquarters have discussed joining a labor union, saidthe people, who asked not to be identified because the frictionisn't public.