Defense

Vetoed authorization bill puts military bonuses on hold

Services have come to depend on the incentives to keep monthly recruiting and retention numbers on target.

Oversight

NASA contract employees win injunction against background checks

Federal judge says allowing investigations to continue forces workers to choose their between rights and their jobs.

Defense

Labor Department to fly solo on veterans' employment complaints

Pilot project dividing jurisdiction over federal sector complaints between Labor and Office of Special Counsel ends inconclusively.

Pay & Benefits

Changes for 2008

A look at annual changes in Social Security, Medicare and federal retirement benefits programs.

Pay & Benefits

Career official becomes deputy TSA administrator

Gale Rossides will implement many of the workforce plans she designed as associate administrator.

Pay & Benefits

Honest Evaluations

The key to pay for performance is providing meaningful reviews of employees' work -- and giving them the opportunity to improve.

Pay & Benefits

Panelists debate public service academy proposal

Critics say tax dollars could be more wisely spent on scholarships to service-minded students.

Pay & Benefits

Feds' political contributions increasingly go to Democrats

Political action committees are giving a greater proportion of donations to Democrats than they did in previous two election cycles.

Defense

Union files Supreme Court appeal of NSPS lawsuit

American Federation of Government Employees asks the high court to hear challenge to the Pentagon's proposed labor relations system.

Pay & Benefits

Bush issues order implementing 3.5 percent pay raise

Order specifies that 2.5 percent of the increase should come through base pay, and 1 percent through locality differentials.

Defense

Pentagon follows Congress' lead on NSPS raises

Employees under the Pentagon's new personnel system will receive a 60-40 split between base pay and performance-related increases in 2008.

Pay & Benefits

TSP funds earn modest gains in 2007

International investments outperform other funds for the year.

Pay & Benefits

The Index

A guide to the past two years of Retirement Planning columns.

Defense

New Defense personnel system frees managers

But the ability to link pay raises more closely to job performance and to move employees between jobs comes with a cost.

Pay & Benefits

Extending Benefits

Lawmakers re-launch effort to grant same-sex domestic partner benefits to federal employees; also, OPM makes retirement records electronic.

Oversight

FAA, controllers union to hold second meeting on safety issues

Get-togethers could be sign that relationship between management, union, is improving.

Pay & Benefits

President signs $516 billion omnibus spending bill

Measure includes 3.5 percent pay increase for white-collar federal employees, enhanced benefits.

Pay & Benefits

Annual Retirement Quiz

Testing your retirement IQ.

Oversight

Report suggests strategies for managing older workers

Organizations urged to show respect and provide opportunities for growth and training.

Pay & Benefits

Holiday Highs and Lows

It’s been a bumpy ride in the world of pay and benefits.