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.

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.

Exclusive 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

Special Counsel’s office cites whistleblower protections in immigration judge gag order

The Office of the Special Counsel highlighted its recent enforcement actions of Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act provisions to curb agency efforts to chill employee speech.