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Erich Wagner

Erich Wagner is a staff correspondent covering pay, benefits and other federal workforce issues. He joined Government Executive in the spring of 2017 after extensive experience writing about state and local issues in Maryland and Virginia, most recently as editor-in-chief of the Alexandria Times. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.
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White House Cracks Down on Unions with Executive Orders

May 25, 2018 President Trump issued a series of executive orders Friday that could gut federal employee unions’ ability to negotiate with agency leaders and represent workers, as well as reduce the time it takes for an agency to fire people for poor performance or misconduct. Billed as the first step toward broad...

OPM Wants to Make it Easier to Hire for Tech Jobs

May 25, 2018 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday that it is considering new ways to make it easier for agencies to hire people for STEM and cybersecurity posts. In a memo to agency chief human capital officers, OPM Director Jeff Pon said his department is “exploring” the possibility of establishing a...

OPM Wants to Make it Easier to Hire for Tech Jobs

May 25, 2018 The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday that it is considering new ways to make it easier for agencies to hire people for STEM and cybersecurity posts. In a memo to agency chief human capital officers, OPM Director Jeff Pon said his department is “exploring” the possibility of establishing a...

House Panel Assails Official Time, With No Input from Unions

May 24, 2018 Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee decried official time, the practice where federal agencies compensate union employees for representational work, as a waste of taxpayer dollars that “subsidize” federal employee groups’ internal and political work. But Democrats at the hearing, titled Union Time on the People's Dime,...

Lawmaker Threatens USDA Officials with 'Legislative Metrics' to Preserve Telework

May 24, 2018 FROM NEXTGOV arrow A House Democrat during a hearing on government IT reform Wednesday demanded that officials with the Agriculture Department explain recent restrictions on the ability of agency employees to work remotely, and suggested he would introduce a bill on telework “metrics” to reverse the decision, if necessary. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.,...

Lawmaker Threatens USDA Officials with 'Legislative Metrics' to Preserve Telework

May 23, 2018 A House Democrat during a hearing on government IT reform Wednesday demanded that officials with the Agriculture Department explain recent restrictions on the ability of agency employees to work remotely, and suggested he would introduce a bill on telework “metrics” to reverse the decision, if necessary. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.,...

Pay and Leave Changes for Some, TSP Fund Management and More

May 23, 2018 Border Patrol agents assigned to look after their canine colleagues while off duty could soon receive overtime credit for those responsibilities under a bill approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. The Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Amendments Act (H.R. 5896), introduced Monday by Reps. Will...

OPM: Agencies Should Provide Better Training for Supervisors

May 22, 2018 The Office of Personnel Management told agencies Monday that the results of a governmentwide survey show they must do a better job of training and retraining federal managers and supervisors throughout their careers. Mark Reinhold, OPM’s associate director for employee services, in a May 21 memo to human resources directors...

How Pay Raises and Retiree COLAs Work

May 21, 2018 As administration officials and lawmakers consider an array of proposals that could impact pay and benefits for federal employees and retirees, it’s worth going over the annual process federal agencies undertake to determine potential pay increases for workers, and cost of living adjustments for retired annuitants. Last week, Office of...

Report: IG Is Investigating State Dept. Reassignments

May 18, 2018 Officials at the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General reportedly have confirmed that the office is formally investigating whether career employees were reassigned to posts outside their area of expertise for political reasons. Talking Points Memo reported that OIG spokeswoman Sarah Breen described the review as “ongoing.” Breen did...