Unions

Lawmakers have asked Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allow employees impacted by the upcoming USDA relocation to use telework and other flexibilities to alleviate the burdens of the move to Kansas City. USDA and the American Federation of Government Employees are expected to continue bargaining negotiations over those flexibilities this week.

Debra D’Agostino joined Federal Drive to discuss the aftermath of a court decision this week on President Trump’s workforce executive orders.

Also in today’s Federal Newscast, USDA is facing more congressional backlash for its plans to relocate two research bureaus to Kansas City, and the DoD Inspector General says former Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White misused her subordinates’ time.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned a lower court’s decision on the President’s workforce executive orders, but it also delayed lifting the injunction of the EOs.

Agencies have new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management advising them to evaluate how well their telework and other work-life programs are working. Several departments have opted to limit or alter their telework programs since initial pilots were stood up back in 2012.

Roughly 57% of employees given relocation notices at the Economic Research Service and 67% of such employees at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture have rejected USDA’s reassignment to Kansas City.

Jeff Neal argues that executive orders against collective bargaining and flip-flopping FLRA majorities are not the way to make fundamental changes in civil service policy.

In today’s Federal Newscast, Mark Esper is poised to become the next Defense secretary. If he’s confirmed, one of his first jobs will be to help fill the rest of the vacant politically-appointed positions in the Pentagon.

Federal employee unions, democrats refocus their attention on getting the Senate to agree on provisions in FY 2020 bills to block rollbacks on collective bargaining, official time for feds.

A federal judge invalidated nine provisions of the President’s workforce executive orders in a ruling last August. But the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned that decision Tuesday.

In today’s Federal Newscast, the Bureau of Land Management is setting up new headquarters out west.

In today’s Federal Newscast, the Federal Labor Relations Authority and OPM said a 2018 Supreme Court decision opens up existing law to a new interpretation.

In today’s Federal Newscast, yet another legislative attempt to block the Trump administration’s proposed merger of the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration, passed the House.

Three members of the Federal Salary Council have made their official recommendations to the President’s pay agent suggesting how to improve the way government evaluates and compensates federal employees.