Even with the debt limit crisis settled, federal workers are going to be hearing, and living with the F-word for a long time. F in this case stands for furloughs and freezes.
Federal workers\' pay, pensions and health premiums are on the line and definitely in the line of fire as Congress and the White House limp toward a solution to the debt limit crisis. Federal News Radio senior correspondent Mike Causey wants to know what are the primary targets?
Depending on how the debt ceiling issue is settled - or not - furloughs could be just around the corner for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. If so, how would they work and are you ready? Would it be a dreamy surprise mid-summer dream or a pre-back-to-school nightmare?
\"There\'s not a whole lot of talk about this, because it\'s just overcome by the whole debt ceiling crisis,\" says Mike MacDonald, regional vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. July 27, 2011
Washington\'s real and self-appointed experts agree something big is going to happen by August 2. Exactly what it is, however, is in dispute Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. The one thing that seems certain is that federal pay and benefits are considered part of the problem by both sides.
While Congress quibbles over the debt ceiling more than 4,000 feds have been furloughed without pay because of political differences over user-fee taxes on airline tickets. But, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, it\'s still safe to fly, isn\'t it?
Budget negotiators from the White House and Congress have apparently identified some low hanging fruit waiting to be plucked, that Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says would reduce your take-home pay and your future retirement benefits.
Federal workers dodged a bullet in April when the government shutdown fizzled, and we all breathed a sign of relief when the world, as predicted, didn\'t end last May. Now we all face two new threats to jobs, benefits and services. So Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, what are our odds?
It\'s showtime for Congress, the White House and members of the federal family. Odds are, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says, you are not going to like what you see and hear for the next couple of weeks.
Bruce Moyer, spokesman for the Federal-Postal Coalition, joined Your Turn with Mike Causey to discuss the group\'s efforts to learn information about what a government default would mean for federal employees. The coalition, made up of scores of federal groups, sent a letter to administration officials last week seeking information about a possible shutdown, federal furloughs and the impact of a default on the assets of the G Fund of the Federal Employees\' Retirement System.
Like it or not federal workers and retirees are some of the primary pawns in the on-going partisan chess game being played out in Washington. So as D-day approaches, a lot of them are asking the what\'s-in-it-for-me question. And Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says the answer is...
Remember the good old days (last April) when you were worrying about being furloughed for days, maybe weeks? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey reports feds now face another deadline which could have an impact on your late summer paychecks.
Federal, military and Social Security retirees were delighted last month when it appeared they were on track for a January cost of living adjustment of around 3.3 percent, but Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says living costs are down, believe it or not, and the COLA may be in danger of stalling.
When times were good having a federal job was nice. When the going got tough having a federal job was golden. But next, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says, comes the political backlash to the point where many feds are having second thoughts about their career goals.
Which of the following items are NOT at stake in the current White House-Congressional debt limit dance: pay raises, your insurance premiums, the health of your brand-new puppy or future raises for federal and Social Security retirees? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says it\'s both serious and confusing and, maybe down the road, amusing too.