Workforce

Pekoske touts impact of pay increases at TSA budget hearing

Workforce attrition has halved since the implementation of a new pay system that mirrors the General Schedule, while employee morale has reached its highest ever, according to the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Pay & Benefits

“It feels impossible to stay”: The U.S. needs wildland firefighters more than ever, but the federal government is losing them

Highly skilled firefighters are the last line of defense against wildfires, but that line is fraying because the government decided long ago that they’re not worth very much.

Workforce

Lawmakers, employee groups call for a permanent increase in federal firefighter pay

Under current measures implemented by the Biden administration, federal wildland firefighters will face yet another “pay cliff” this fall.

Pay & Benefits

Employee groups air their disappointment with Biden’s 2% raise proposal

Multiple groups representing federal employees expressed their displeasure this week at the White House’s proposed pay raise, noting that it falls both behind the cost of inflation and military compensation.

Updated Pay & Benefits

Biden proposes 2% raise for feds in 2025 budget

Following multiple years of multi-decade record pay increases, the White House cited “fiscal constraints” facing agencies to justify smaller raises next year.

Workforce

Congress' minibus spending deal could potentially avert firefighter pay cliff

Lawmakers have until Friday evening to pass the first of two spending packages that will run until Sept. 30.

Oversight

GAO says TSA's employee engagement problems linger, despite some improvements

Though the Transportation Security Administration experienced an uptick in employee engagement following the implementation of major pay increases last year, leaders have not addressed other factors contributing to low workforce morale.

Pay & Benefits

Biden administration to extend salary history ban to federal contractors

Officials said that new proposed regulations, released in conjunction with a final rule barring federal agencies from soliciting job applicants’ salary histories, will reduce pay disparities and improve the effectiveness of the federal contract workforce.

Pay & Benefits

Feds get 7.4% pay raise under congressional Democrats' plan

Despite two years of federal employees receiving the highest pay increases in decades, the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act’s sponsors say the federal workforce continues to suffer from “chronic underinvestment.”

Pay & Benefits

Is the 5.2% pay raise enough for feds? Union says no

While the president authorized the largest pay raise for federal employees in more than 40 years last month, the National Federation of Federal Employees said inflation and the outpacing private sector pay means workers need more. 

Pay & Benefits

New OPM proposal would ensure feds detailed to temporary promotions are paid properly

Federal HR leaders said in a filing last week that a rule capping increased pay for federal workers noncompetitively selected to perform duties of a higher-graded position at 120 days penalizes employees for their agency’s mistake.

Pay & Benefits

Biden signs order finalizing 5.2% pay raise for feds in 2024

The measure confirms that the federal workforce will see its largest pay increase in more than 40 years.

Pay & Benefits

OPM finalizes new locality pay areas ahead of 2024 pay raise

The combination of creating four new locality pay areas and a broad update to underlying maps means that around 33,300 federal workers will see larger pay raises beginning next year.

Pay & Benefits

OPM proposes making it easier to approve some recruitment and relocation incentives

Under proposed regulations, the federal government’s HR agency would no longer need to approve waivers of traditional incentive payment caps in advance, potentially speeding up the hiring and relocation processes.

Pay & Benefits

The federal pay gap spiked again in 2023

Members of an advisory panel that examines federal employee compensation issues on Tuesday recommended advocating new tactics to combat the federal-private sector pay disparity as well as pay compression.

Pay & Benefits

As shutdown looms, fed firefighters express concern over continuity of pay and benefits

If Congress fails to stop a funding cutoff "many of us might not get paid, or at least won’t get paid on time, and that’s a real problem," says one firefighter.

Pay & Benefits

Pay Agent: Locality pay increases, when implemented, need to be calculated specifically to job skills

But annual pay adjustments by profession is a long-running organizational idea that has been too difficult to actually implement, one expert says.

Pay & Benefits

President’s Pay Agent OKs another tweak to locality pay areas

The counties of Clallam and Jefferson in Washington state could be included in the Seattle-Tacoma locality pay area as early as 2025.

Pay & Benefits

The federal firefighter ‘pay cliff’ has been averted, for now

The 45-day continuing resolution preventing a government shutdown also includes language ensuring federal firefighters don’t lose access to recent pay increases whose funding was expected to run out this month.

Pay & Benefits

Odds of a fix for impending wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’ improve, but complications remain

Union officials say they’ve received assurances from leadership in both the House and Senate that Congress will work to avert massive pay cuts that could kick in next month.