Author Archive
Workforce
NIH Fellows Hope Union Bid Will Bolster Pay and Protections
Organizers hope that forming a union at the National Institutes of Health will help increase pay, benefits and worker protections across academia.
Pay & Benefits
TSP Portfolios Report a Mixed Bag of May Returns
Most of the funds in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings plan finished last month down, amid concerns that the United States could breach the debt limit.
Workforce
An Effort to Make It Easier for Feds to Bust Their Own Union is Blocked by the FLRA
The American Federation of Government Employees applauded the decision, but with a FLRA-mandated union election scheduled for next month, the fight is far from over.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Wants to Do More for Federal Workers' Wellness
An initiative to “revitalize” employee assistance programs across the federal government eyes a more comprehensive approach to promoting federal employees' wellness.
Pay & Benefits
A New Guide to the Retirement Process Could Help Feds Avoid Pitfalls, Manage Expectations
OPM's new three-page guide to the federal retirement process will be updated on a monthly basis to reflect anticipated wait times for federal retirees to begin receiving their annuity payments.
Oversight
ATF Misclassified Jobs. A Senator Wants the Justice Department to Dig Deeper.
Citing concerns by the whistleblowers who triggered the investigation that found that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had systematically misclassified administrative jobs as law enforcement-related, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, asked the Justice Department to do a more thorough investigation.
Workforce
GOP Lawmakers Demand Telework Stats from Federal Agencies
Congressional Republicans argued that the Biden administration’s recent efforts to scale back the use of telework are insufficient.
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Workforce
Federal Labor Law Applies to Civilian Technicians in State National Guards, Supreme Court Affirms
The state of Ohio had argued it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, despite the fact that “dual status technicians” are federal employees.
Workforce
Union and Alaska Army Posts Resolve Differences Over Official Time and Illegal Contract, But Other Fights Remain
Despite agreeing to drop the illegal contract the agency unilaterally imposed on AFGE employees in 2019, union officials say management continues to resist the Biden administration’s pro-labor policies.
Pay & Benefits
Fight the Long-Running FEHBP Abortion Ban, Gender Equity Group Urges House Democrats
The Department of Justice Gender Equality Network said the Hyde amendment unfairly makes women’s health care decisions more costly and traumatic, even when covered by exceptions in cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother.
Workforce
Anti-Telework Bill Makes Its Way to the Senate
The SHOW UP Act, which narrowly passed the House in February, requires federal agencies to revert to their telework policies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pay & Benefits
Federal Prison Employees Ask the Supreme Court to Review COVID Hazard Pay Case
Attorneys for nearly 200 U.S. Bureau of Prisons workers in Connecticut said a federal appellate court effectively made it impossible for any federal worker to qualify for hazard pay related to “virulent biologicals” with its interpretation of federal regulations.
Workforce
Feds Could Be Fired at Any Time for Any Reason, Under a Bill That Was Just Reintroduced
The bill also would abolish the Merit Systems Protection Board and threatens to reduce former federal employees’ retirement benefits if they file “frivolous” appeals of adverse personnel actions.
Management
What Will -- and Won’t -- Change for Federal Agencies With the End of the COVID Health Emergency
A look at how we got here and what’s ahead for federal agencies and workers now that the pandemic emergency is over.
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Pay & Benefits
Congressional Dems Reintroduce Bill to Revamp Federal Firefighter Pay and Benefits
The Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act would ensure federal wildland firefighters make at least $20 per hour, among other things.
Pay & Benefits
Ditch Salary History When Setting Job Applicants’ Pay, OPM Proposes
Aimed at reducing gender- and ethnicity-based pay gaps, the initiative would also apply tighter guard rails in cases when an applicant has a competing and higher-paying job offer.
Oversight
OSC: ATF Wasted At Least $10 Million Misclassifying Administrative Jobs as Law Enforcement
Although OPM and ATF investigations found around 100 positions within the agency’s HR department were improperly provided enhanced law enforcement pay and benefits, the whistleblowers who prompted the probe said the problem is more widespread than that.
Workforce
OPM Highlights Mental Health Resources for Feds
The federal government is setting up a new listserv to provide federal employees with mental health information, events and tools to boost mindfulness.
Workforce
Conservative Think Tanks Are Preparing a List of 20K Potential Political Appointees in Hopes of Reviving Schedule F
A coalition led by the Heritage Foundation has launched a massive recruitment effort that would grow the ranks of federal political appointees from 4,000 to 20,000 in the next Republican presidential administration.
Management