Management
Union Sues to Block a Plan That Would Make It Easier for Feds to Quit Paying Dues
Labor authority last week signaled that it will move ahead on the plan, although critics say the agency's legal justification doesn’t add up.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Proposes Pay, Bargaining Changes in 2021 Budget
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
Labor Authority Moves Forward With Plan to Make It Easier for Feds to Cancel Union Dues
Lone Democrat on the labor-management relations board accuses his colleagues of using recent Supreme Court precedent as a pretext to enable union busting.
Pay & Benefits
TSP to Increase Auto Enrollment to 5% Later This Year
Proposed regulations would increase the rate at which federal employees automatically contribute to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts from 3% to 5% beginning in October.
Pay & Benefits
OPM, Lawmakers Propose Fixes to New Paid Parental Leave Law
The effort to ensure all federal employees have access to up to 12 weeks of paid time off following the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child now has bipartisan support.
Pay & Benefits
Budget Proposes Cutting and Simplifying Federal Employee Leave, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
Civil Rights Groups Join Fight Against EEOC Official Time Proposal
A pair of nonprofit groups said plan to make the right to official time for union representatives subject to collective bargaining agreements lacks "adequate justification" and will harm federal workers.
Pay & Benefits
White House Revives Controversial Retirement Cut Proposals
The Trump administration’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal would require federal workers to contribute more to their retirement benefit programs and reduce annual cost of living adjustments.
Pay & Benefits
Trump Proposes 1% Pay Increase for Civilian Federal Workers in 2021
The proposal marks an improvement over last year’s initial pay freeze request, but a significant downgrade from the average 3.1% pay increase that was ultimately enacted for 2020.
Management
White House Memo Could End Unionization at the Pentagon
In a January memo, President Trump authorized Defense Secretary Mark Esper to exempt the Defense Department from the law governing collective bargaining in the federal government.
Management
More Than 100 Lawmakers Urge HHS to Resume Bargaining with Union
The department has not responded in nearly five months to calls to continue talks with its labor union, despite an arbitrator's finding that it had engaged in bad faith bargaining.
Oversight
Interior Whistleblower Reinstated and Promoted as Part of Settlement Agreement
The Office of Special Counsel found that department officials retaliated against an employee after he reported insufficient environmental studies of Alaskan drilling sites.
Pay & Benefits
Federal Employee Retirement Requests Hit Highest Level Since Trump Took Office
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Oversight
Watchdog Highlights Security Vulnerabilities at Federal Child Care Centers
IG says in some cases, a lack of funding stalled fixes that would have made facilities safer.
Pay & Benefits
Most Federal Employee Retirement Funds Struggle to Start the Year
After a strong 2019, most portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended January in the red.
Management
Administrative Law Judges Union Asks Court to Intervene in Impasses Case
Union says two labor-management panels ignored calls to address constitutional complaints related to how the president appoints members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel.
Management
Trump Administration Acknowledges Mistake in Supreme Court Age Discrimination Case
Solicitor General Noel Francisco backs down on statement that there are multiple legal avenues besides the Age Discrimination in Employment Act under which federal workers could pursue an age discrimination claim.
Management
House Panel Advances Bill Granting Full Rights to TSA Workers
Currently, employees at the Transportation Security Administration do not get annual raises along with workers on the General Schedule, and have significantly curtailed rights to collective bargaining and appealing adverse personnel actions.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Grant Civilian Feds a 3.5% Pay Raise in 2021, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management