Management

Union: SBA Is Preventing Temporary Workers from Organizing

Although the Small Business Administration advertised temporary two-year positions processing Paycheck Protection Program loans as belonging to a bargaining unit, the agency stripped the jobs of that status after AFGE inquired about job conditions.

Management

The Battle for the Public Service Is Just Beginning

We are in the midst of a critical debate over the future of the federal workforce.

Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: OSHA COVID-19 Standard Takes Effect; Biden Seeks Permanent HHS Inspector General

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Defense

Texas Empties Prison to Prepare to Detain Immigrants Arrested During Ramped-Up Border Enforcement

The prison — Dolph Briscoe Unit in Dilley — will have capacity for about 1,000 people.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: What Feds Need to Know About Coming Back to Hybrid Offices

Attorney Stephanie Rapp-Tully joins the podcast to discuss the return to offices.

Employee Policy

SBA sidesteps union rights

Employees at SBA played a key role in easing the economic impact of the COVID emergency, especially in managing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that kept millions of businesses afloat. Yet many who were promised union protections have been denied their collective bargaining rights.

Employee Policy

POGO: IG vacancies raise concerns

Across federal agencies, inspectors general provide needed oversight, both deterring and investigating waste and fraud. But nowadays, according to the watchdog Project on Government Oversight, far too many permanent IG slots remain vacant for months or, in many cases, longer.

Employee Policy

NAPA panel on telework's impacts

The National Academy of Public Administration is inviting feds to join in, via Zoom, on a June 30 panel event on the future of telework, and its impacts on businesses and communities that surround federal workplaces.

Nextgov

NSA: Test Unified Communications Patches Before Installing

Guidance from the National Security Agency aims to protect communications carried over the internet from eavesdropping, denial-of-service attacks and other dangers.

Workforce

Embassy on Near Lockdown After Mass COVID-19 Outbreak Among Staff

At least 114 employees at the U.S. embassy in Kabul have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Oversight

Republicans Call for Hearing on Possible IRS Leak of Personal Taxpayer Information

Federal agencies took immediate action to investigate how a news organization got ahold of the sensitive information.  

Nextgov

U.S. Needs Tech Agency to Compete with China, Think Tank Says

The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is just a first step when it comes to competition with China, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

Oversight

Senator Seeks Probe Into Potential Civil Service Violations Under Biden

Top Banking Committee Republican is demanding answers from the administration and asking the IG for a full investigation.

Nextgov

HHS Puts Up $80M to Increase Number and Diversity of Health IT Workforce

The four-year effort will focus on improving data collection—especially around race and ethnicity—and training a more diverse health informatics and technology workforce.

Pay & Benefits

Most Federal Employees Will Receive Friday Off for Juneteenth

President Biden signed a bill Thursday afternoon making the anniversary of the end of slavery a federal holiday, and OPM confirmed that federal workers will have Friday off.

Defense

Donald Trump to Tour Border Wall with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on June 30

Abbott announced last Thursday that Texas would build its own border wall to stem the flow of migrants from Mexico.

Workforce

Sleep Troubles Now Linked to Cognitive Troubles Later

People who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep may have more problems remembering or concentrating more than a decade later, research shows.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: The Civil Service and At-Will Employment

The America First Policy Institute's James Sherk joins the show to discuss his report that calls for a full at-will employment for all feds.