THE DAILY FED
News Briefs
The following news summaries are from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.
HELPING DISPLACED WORKERS--One year after their opening and 448 clients later, eight intergovernmental organizations that helped design and coordinate the on-going operation of five Metro Area Reemployment Center received Vice President Al Gore's Hammer Award (Office of Communications News Release, March 19).
HELPING LOW-WAGE WORKERS--Executives at more than two dozen of the nation's largest corporations have been meeting quietly over the past year to brainstorm ways to recruit and retain workers who make less than $8.50 an hour. While the media spotlight may be on the minimum wage debate and welfare reforms, these executives are reluctantly realizing they already have a serious problem dealing with their low-wage work force (The Washington Post).
THE FEDERAL DIARY--"The White House plan to make workers and federal agencies pony up more money for retirement benefits could price some federal workers out of a job . . . Bottom line: Agencies might be required to come up with more money to finance retirement benefits, perhaps at the cost of some employees' jobs" (The Washington Post).
OF INTEREST--The hunt for computer programmers who can solve the Year 2000 crisis is verging on frantic (USA TODAY)...Despite growing rates of depression, despite a plethora of books and programs for the forlorn, despite an apparent national obsession with unhappiness, most people seem to think they're very happy (The Washington Post).
OTHER VIEWS--OPM mentioned in an article about subpoenas for documents focusing on alleged fund-raising abuses (New Tribune, Tacoma, WA, Feb. 14)...FEHBP is mentioned in a letter on military health benefits (Retirement Life Magazine)...FEHBP is mentioned in an article on health information practices (Journal of AHIMA, Chicago, IL, March).
NEXT STORY: Acting CIA Chief Nominated