Author Archive
Management
Agencies to Have Wide Latitude In Deciding Which Jobs to Strip of Civil Service Protections
OPM issued initial instructions Friday for implementing a Trump executive order that allows federal policy-making positions to be converted from career jobs to at-will appointments.
Management
Governance Experts Assail White House Effort to Strip Federal Employees of Rights
Good government groups, unions and lawmakers were nearly unanimous in their scorching criticism of an executive order that could strip protections for hundreds of thousands and politicize the federal workforce.
Management
‘Stunning’ Executive Order Would Politicize Civil Service
President Trump signs directive that would potentially pull thousands of federal employees in "policy-making" positions out of the competitive service, making them at-will employees.
Pay & Benefits
Salary Council: Federal Workers Make 23% Less than Private Sector Counterparts
The advisory council on federal compensation recommended that Carroll County, Ill., be added to the Davenport-Moline, Iowa-Ill., locality pay area.
Management
Trump Administration Requests Info on Contractor Diversity Training as Officials Seek to Clarify What’s Allowed
Federal officials now say at least some unconscious bias training is all right under a recent controversial executive order.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Seek to Increase Retiree COLA for Next Year to 3%
Legislation would set the annual increase in Social Security and federal retiree annuities at 3%, rather than the 1.3% increase currently slated for 2021, and would permanently increase adjustments in future years.
Management
Impasses Panel, Union Debate Appellate Court Decision’s Impact on Appointments Challenge
Government attorneys cited a recent D.C. Circuit Court decision in support of the argument that appointees to the Federal Service Impasses Panel should not require Senate confirmation.
Featured eBooks
Management
OPM Finalizes Rule on Trump Executive Order to Ease Firing and Discipline of Feds
Regulations set to go into effect next month will implement several key provisions of President Trump’s executive order.
Management
White VA Employees Twice as Likely to Be Promoted as Black Workers
The American Federation of Government Employees said Thursday that new data it obtained via the Freedom of Information Act underscores its allegations of systemic racism pervading the Veterans Affairs Department.
Pay & Benefits
Employee Groups Decry Hikes in What Typical Feds Will Pay in Heath Care Premiums, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
Feds Will Pay 4.9% More Toward Health Care Premiums Next Year
The Office of Personnel Management said Wednesday that it has revamped its online plan comparison tool and encouraged greater transparency from insurance carriers to tamp down on surprise billing.
Pay & Benefits
Retiree COLA Set at 1.3% Next Year, Prompting Calls for Change
Organization calls on Congress to shift the metric upon which annual cost of living adjustments for Social Security and federal retirement benefits are based from the general price of goods to one that takes into account spending by the elderly.
Pay & Benefits
Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Make Payroll Tax Deferral Optional
Legislation requiring workers, including federal employees and military service members, to consent in writing to have their Social Security taxes deferred between now and the end of the year has the support of nearly 20 employee groups.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Seeks to Limit Back Pay Awards for Employees, Unions
Officials at the Office of Personnel Management want to upend a nearly 40-year-old set of regulations, restricting which actions are subject to grievances under the Back Pay Act, and banning unions from being awarded attorney's fees when their members win their cases.
Featured eBooks
Management
Civil Rights Groups Pressure VA Ahead of GAO Racism Audit
GAO has agreed to investigate the prevalence racism at the Veterans Affairs Department after a survey revealed that the vast majority of bargaining unit employees had either experienced or witnessed acts of discrimination on the job.
Pay & Benefits
Higher TSP Contributions Kick In, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Revive Push to Make Feds’ Payroll Tax Deferral Optional
The effort to pressure the Trump administration into allowing federal employees to opt out of the controversial initiative to delay collection of Social Security taxes until next year is now bipartisan.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Protect All Feds’ Leave Following COVID
Although OPM’s current policy only waives the 30-day annual leave cap for essential employees who are unable to use their leave due to their duties responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats in Congress want to extend the waiver to all federal workers.
Management
OPM Memo Puts Pause on Diversity Training Across Government
The Trump administration is pushing forward with its controversial purge of training it deems “un-American.”
Management