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President Barack Obama hit on some issues important to federal employees during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, including his push for a reorganization of some federal agencies. But, he also called for the creation of two new \"units\" to help fight counterfeit goods and financial fraud.
John Palguta, the vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss how federal managers can prepare themselves and their employees.
It\'s not the easiest time to tackle the growing backlog of retirement applications from federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management has received more than 15,000 new applications this month, which is more than double the normal load, said Retirement Services Director Ken Zawodny.
The Government Printing Office has announced more than 300 employees left the agency in the second half of 2011, mostly because of the buyouts and early retirements the agency offered last year. GPO\'s workforce is now stands at its lowest levels in a century, the agency said in a release.
Agency chief financial officers and deputy CFOs said their top three priorities and challenges all revolve around improving how their agency manages spending, according to an exclusive online survey by Federal News Radio. Agencies expect the 2013 budget request to include significant cuts in across-the-board discretionary spending. CFOs and deputy CFOs also said they are concerned whether their workforces are adequately trained to meet the job\'s growing demands.
All federal employees will have the opportunity to participate in this year\'s Employee Viewpoint Survey. The Office of Personnel Management\'s annual survey of federal workers\' opinions often is used to set administrative policies at agencies. In past years, only a third of the workforce had been asked to participate.
Monday\'s weather delay for the D.C. region has people in Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh wondering why we are such weather wimps. But it may be their fault too, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Tom Trabucco, director of external affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, joined In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss the "three-legged stool" of federal retirement, the ballpark-estimate calculator and how it works.
The Office of Personnel Management has updated the telework training offered through Telework.gov. Agencies must provide telework training to employees who are able and willing to work outside the office before the two parties sign a telework agreement. The upgrades will allow agencies to track which employees use and complete the training, according to the memo.
Jennifer Hazelman, who manages GSA\'s Carbon Footprint Tool, explains how a simple commuter survey can help agencies find ways ways to reduce greenhouse gases at their work site or facility.
Jonathan Sallet, a partner with the law firm O\'Melveny and Myers and the report\'s co-author, joined The Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss what such a department would look like.
Labor talks failed this weekend between the Postal Service and two postal unions — the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Postal Handlers Union.
A couple of weeks back, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wrote a rare \"this-is-good-news\" column about federal workers. He would now like to withdraw that column and apologize for what turned out to be irrational exuberance.
Federal government offices will open to the public at 11:00 a.m., due to expected icy conditions Monday morning.