Author Archive
Pay & Benefits
That’s a wrap? Congress kicks it without passing fed pay bill, so White House’s 5.2% pay boost on deck
COMMENTARY | The lack of appropriations legislation before the Christmas recess means that federal employees could get their largest pay raise in decades.
Pay & Benefits
Keeping an eye on Schedule F and other proposals to reform federal workforce and pay protections
COMMENTARY | Former President Trump's plan to convert large swaths of federal employees into "at-will" workers may be on ice for now, but he and other GOP contenders have proposed to revive the proposal or institute a more drastic one.
Pay & Benefits
Public-sector workers report taking fewer and fewer vacation days
Not being able to unplug from work leads to burnout and poor performance, one expert reminds us.
Pay & Benefits
Open Season: You really ought to review your new benefit choices for 2024
Make sure the plan you have from last year is still the one that makes sense for you.
Pay & Benefits
Shutdown worries still loom in the new year, while wildland firefighters welcome a bill removing overtime caps
Pay and benefits news you may have missed.
Pay & Benefits
As shutdown looms, fed firefighters express concern over continuity of pay and benefits
If Congress fails to stop a funding cutoff "many of us might not get paid, or at least won’t get paid on time, and that’s a real problem," says one firefighter.
Pay & Benefits
State and USAID employees abroad face an increased demand and an inadequate supply of mental health resources
The pandemic, war in Ukraine, and a general rise in demand for psychiatric services are some of the reasons the congressional watchdog cited for the strain on mental health resources.
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Pay & Benefits
Bill would significantly raise the on-duty death benefit for fed workers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers want to increase the amount tenfold.
Pay & Benefits
Pay Agent: Locality pay increases, when implemented, need to be calculated specifically to job skills
But annual pay adjustments by profession is a long-running organizational idea that has been too difficult to actually implement, one expert says.
Pay & Benefits
Bureau of Prisons employees welcome their raise, unions embrace the shutdown pause, and OPM urges an early start on Open Season
Pay and benefits updates you may have missed.
Pay & Benefits
Long term care insurance: Sharp hike in premiums for feds means enrollees face tough choices
Experts say although long term care is in the cards for most older Americans, an upcoming spike in LTC insurance premiums for feds who are enrolled is just part of a pattern that will remain unbroken until Congress and policymakers act on the neglected—but vital—broader issue of long term care and accompanying costs that will affect a majority of federal families. The program remains closed to new applicants.
Pay & Benefits
Large federal unions endorse the auto worker strike action. A scholar explains why
“They know their job security depends on not just protecting their own rights, but a strong private sector,” says John P. Beck, of Michigan State University.
Pay & Benefits
Come again? Political scientist sees shutdown as 'likely'— and feds need to get ready
With days left until funding for the federal government expires, some political experts foresee not only a shutdown, but possibly a long one, with an interruption in pay likely
Pay & Benefits
Pay compression: One expert says a current bill would help, but deeper changes are still needed
“The relatively low pay for very skilled, very experienced workers is a serious problem,” says James L. Perry, professor emeritus of public administration at the University of Indiana.
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Pay & Benefits
Expanded telework, a benefit now under threat, effectively boosts pay for hundreds of thousands of feds
Working from home pinches far more than pennies.
Pay & Benefits
Choke points: Labor historian discusses how public-sector unions took hold
Private-sector union strategies and growth have helped public-sector unions and employees.
Pay & Benefits
Bill aims to reinstate tax deduction for fed union dues, and more
Pay and benefits updates you may have missed.
Pay & Benefits
Military Survivor Annuity Program finally offers long-promised open season to choose new beneficiaries
Some retired service members say they are either outright denied or given an impossible runaround when they try to update their elections, but Defense agency pushes back on those allegations.
Pay & Benefits
TSP website problems drag and Defense firefighters raise lag
Pay and benefits updates you may have missed.
Pay & Benefits