Workforce
Congressional committees tackle bills governing telework, marijuana and labor unions
While a Senate panel advanced bills improving telework data reporting by federal agencies and codifying the end of the restriction on federal employees’ past use of marijuana, its House counterpart advanced controversial bills aimed at busting federal employee unions and adding leading questions to the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Pay & Benefits
Employees at Latin American aid agency vote to unionize
Workers at the Inter-American Foundation almost unanimously voted to join the American Federation of Government Employees last week amid claims of no in-house human resources and an undermanned staff.
Management
Trump’s second-term agenda: Breaking the bureaucracy
If elected this fall, Donald Trump's return to Washington would promise a more aggressive—and plausible—campaign to hobble unions, politicize the nonpartisan civil service and remake the federal government in the Republican’s image.
Management
Trump vows to establish an 'efficiency commission' with Elon Musk at the helm
The former president said the Tesla CEO has “agreed” to head up a task force aimed at cutting federal programs.
Workforce
EEOC withdraws Trump-era proposal cancelling official time for unions reps
The commission controversially approved the idea on a party-line vote just days before President Biden’s inauguration but was caught up in a review of late Trump-era "midnight regulations."
Workforce
Conservative senator seeks to ban official time at federal agencies
Eliminating federal compensation for unions’ time spent representing employees would shred a decades-old compromise at the heart of federal labor issues.
Workforce
Federal worker union shifts presidential endorsements to Harris
Labor groups at federal agencies touted Harris’ record both as a senator and vice president, particularly her co-chairwomanship of a White House task force on union issues.
Pay & Benefits
OPM finalizes rule to ensure temporarily promoted feds are paid properly
A two-decades old Office of Personnel Management advisory opinion capping increased pay for federal workers temporarily performing duties of a higher-graded position at 120 days inadvertently penalized workers rather than their errant employer.
Workforce
Unions applaud ‘most pro-union president in history’ following Biden’s decision to end campaign
Labor leaders said their goal remains to defeat Trump’s bid to return to the White House next year.
Pay & Benefits
Administrative law judge union to push for expanded annual carryover leave
Officials with a union that represents administrative law judges at the Social Security Administration said their jobs are more akin to those of senior-level federal jobs than General Schedule positions.
Workforce
The FLRA is nearly back at full strength following Senate confirmation vote
The Senate voted 55-37 to confirm Anne Wagner as the third member atop the Federal Labor Relations Authority, allowing the agency to consider controversial cases again for the first time in more than a year.
Workforce
Forest Service will partially refund federal firefighters’ rent in government-owned housing
The decision to provide a 50% refund to wildland firefighters at the GS-10 level who reside in government-owned housing will affect roughly 5,500 employees.
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Workforce
Martin O’Malley is on a one-year sprint to save Social Security
Despite shaking up the culture one of Washington’s most risk-averse agencies, the former governor said his biggest task is convincing Congress to reinvest in the Social Security Administration’s administrative overhead.
Workforce
EPA union ratifies contract to protect employees’ scientific integrity
The deal also locks in a maximum of four days per week of telework, though labor leaders said that the agency will likely want to renegotiate the benefit after two years.
Management
Biden’s labor report card: Historian gives ‘Union Joe’ a higher grade than any president since FDR
COMMENTARY | President Joe Biden came into the White House intent on being "the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history." Four years later, he has shown a lot of progress.
Workforce
TSA and AFGE ink their first contract under expanded collective bargaining rules
After two decades of abridged or no collective bargaining rights, frontline Transportation Security Administration finally enjoy similar rights to their colleagues elsewhere in government.
Workforce
AFGE wins two more union elections for federal workers stationed in Europe
Two separate groups of Defense Department employees stationed in Germany voted to join the nation’s largest federal employee union this week.
Management
Biden’s FLRA nominees move closer to Senate confirmation
Senators appeared poised Wednesday to advance the nominations of aspiring leaders in labor-relations.
Workforce
Employee groups laud Biden’s anti-Schedule F regulations
Unions and management organizations alike applauded the Office of Personnel Management’s effort to at least slow a future Republican administration’s efforts to strip federal employees of their civil service protections.
Management