Workforce
Lawmakers pursue parallel paths toward blocking Trump’s anti-union order
While House Democrats and unions are working over the August recess to secure signatures on a discharge petition to force the chamber to consider a bill overturning the president’s edict stripping two-thirds of federal employees of their collective bargaining rights, the House NDAA includes language blocking its implementation at the Pentagon.
Management
Unions, good government groups urge rejection of Trump’s OSC nominee
Paul Ingrassia, 28, has cavorted with neo-Nazis and publicly described the federal workers he would be tasked with protecting as “parasites” and “bugmen.”
Updated
Workforce
OPM urges ‘generous approach’ to approving religion-based telework
A memo encouraging the approval of telework arrangements for people with religious reasonable accommodation requests comes as some agencies look to crack down on disability-based telework usage.
Workforce
Trump’s anti-union EO can remain in effect during challenge, appellate court says
The judge who dissented from an appellate court’s initial decision allowing the edict to be implemented issued a warning about the high standards that should accompany a judicial stay.
Management
Trump administration narrows effort to nix project labor agreements for federal construction contracts
The move to narrow the rollback of a Biden-era order mandating contractors negotiate with unions before major construction projects came after a federal judge blocked the White House’s first attempt.
Workforce
Sens. Warren and Wyden demand info on SSA reassignments
SSA workers say the recent decision to involuntarily reassign 1,000 field office employees to man the 1-800 number flies in the face of leadership’s rosy pronouncements and further degrades service.
Workforce
Union calls for reinstatement of EPA workers suspended over letter
More than 130 EPA workers were put on administrative leave over their signature of a letter that criticized Administrator Lee Zeldin’s direction for the agency.
Pay & Benefits
Trump’s hiring freeze has jeopardized postal workers’ health care, IG says
OPM told its agency watchdog that it has taken steps to ensure the Postal Service Health Benefits Program remains adequately staffed and funded but failed to provide any evidence that it had actually done so.
Workforce
SSA touts service improvements, but reassignments tell a different story
Though Commissioner Frank Bisignano has heralded the addition of AI assistants to the Social Security Administration’s customer service streams, the agency is quietly reassigning field office staff to man its 1-800 number.
Workforce
OPM deemphasizes ‘favorite EO’ essay following legal challenge
A quietly circulated memo from the federal government's HR agency warns hiring managers against using the essay responses as a "ideological litmus test" for job applicants.
Updated
Pay & Benefits
More than 60,000 feds are still waiting for their 2025 pay raise
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision last spring to shutter a slew of advisory committees has imperiled already enacted pay raises for federal employees in blue collar jobs.
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds continued their upward swing in June
Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program gained value last month.
Management
Virginia lawmakers demand answers on Trump’s planned ‘displacement’ of NSF
The lack of an announced successor space for the National Science Foundation and accusations of largesse to the Housing and Urban Development secretary have swirled since the proposal was unveiled last week.
Pay & Benefits
All provisions targeting federal worker benefits, unions stricken from Senate reconciliation package
The Senate parliamentarian previously ruled that most of the proposals aimed at cutting federal employees’ retirement benefits and civil service protections violated a rule to ensure reconciliation bills are budgetary in nature.
Oversight
OSC recommends bonuses for whistleblowers at Maryland USDA facility
The reallocation of $50 million to upgrade a dilapidated federal research facility would not have been possible without the rights afforded workers through collective bargaining, union leaders argued.
Workforce
House Dems warn Trump’s special counsel pick is anathema to job’s duties
Paul Ingrassia, 28, has been nominated to lead the office that investigates politically motivated firings and Hatch Act violations, despite statements supporting a purge of workers and cavorting with neo-Nazis.
Workforce
Trump’s anti-union executive order has been blocked, again
A federal judge in California tailored his decision around the administration’s violations against labor groups’ First Amendment rights, avoiding thornier questions about presidential power.
Workforce
Most fed-targeting provisions in Senate reconciliation bill don’t pass Byrd muster
The Senate parliamentarian over the weekend found that many proposals targeting federal workers and their unions violate the Byrd rule and would require 60 votes to advance in the chamber.
Workforce
OPM calls for quicker firings, more stringent performance standards
While experts agree that performance ratings in the federal government are inflated, the federal government’s HR agency’s proposal could exacerbate existing problems.
Management