Management
GSA Roundup: Vegas out; doing great things; more bonuses; stolen iPods
Daily highlights in the wake of GSA’s extravagant conference spending.
Pay & Benefits
Government wants more ethics rules for Afghanistan reconstruction employees
Regulation would require workers get approval for some activities.
Pay & Benefits
How much do federal employee advocates make?
National Journal’s compensation survey shows how they stack up against other Washington area executives.
Pay & Benefits
Many public workers agree they have it better than private sector peers
Nearly half of government employees surveyed feel they don’t work as hard and 62 percent cite greater job security.
Pay & Benefits
Retirement claims backlog is down since January
OPM made more of a dent in March than it expected to, despite an increase in new applications.
Oversight
Pricey awards program paraded as new example of GSA excess
Agency gave away $438,750 in iPods and other swag over four years, IG finds.
Oversight
How Congress gets away with not paying its interns
Unpaid congressional intern labor is legal because lawmakers made it that way.
Pay & Benefits
Divorce Decrees
A look at the rules for how benefits for divorced feds and their spouses are handled.
Pay & Benefits
EEOC urged to tackle conflicts of interest in federal complaint process
General counsel offices should not coach witnesses or review affidavits of management involved in discrimination cases, civil rights leaders say.
Pay & Benefits
Diplomats demand pet parity
Letter-writing campaign targets United Airlines after it offered military members a break on transporting pets.
Pay & Benefits
Travel on the Up and Up
Despite its extravagant Las Vegas conference, GSA sets travel requirements for feds.
Defense
Companies commit to flexible jobs for military spouses, veterans
Partners in first lady’s initiative pledge to open about 15,000 positions.
Pay & Benefits
Postal Service racks up big bill for unauthorized overtime
Proponent of House reform measure says latest audit raises questions about USPS’ self-sufficiency.
Pay & Benefits
‘Telework’ isn’t working, some say
Panelists wonder whether the word itself is hurting the benefit’s reputation.
Pay & Benefits
Can lawmakers hold Cabinet salaries hostage?
Ethics panel weighs in on Louisiana senator’s attempts to tie Interior secretary’s pay to oil drilling permits.
Pay & Benefits
TSP fund growth slows in March
All the plan’s offerings except the F Fund posted modest positive returns last month.
Pay & Benefits
Are You Counting on Social Security?
The program’s role in your preparation for retirement.
Pay & Benefits
Stopgap highway bill leaves pension provisions in limbo
Senate passes a 90-day extension, putting off debate on longer-term measures that could affect federal retirement.
Pay & Benefits
House backs pay freeze extension
The GOP fiscal 2013 budget proposal includes provisions affecting federal benefits and salaries.
Management