Unions
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OPM announced federal offices would be open Monday on a "delayed arrival" schedule. It was the first time the agency has used the classification since it revamped its closure policies last year. But it didn't go off without a hitch - OPM updated the operating status language twice and some federal employees said they were confused by OPM's communication.
January 28, 2013 -
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" AFGE Legislative and Political Director Beth Moten will preview the union's 2013 Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference Feb. 10 - 13. AFGE Council of Prison Locals President Dale Deshotel and National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals President Witold Skwierczynski also address issues at their respective agencies.
January 23, 2013 -
Of the more than 3.5 million workers employed by the federal government in 2012, about 956,000 - or 26.9 percent - were members of unions, according to the BLS data. That's a slight decline from 2011, when 28.1 percent of federal workers were union members.
January 23, 2013 -
OPM's Angela Bailey discusses how agencies are struggling to fill critical skill gaps in the hard sciences. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo fills us in on what to expect with the new defense authorization law. Jacque Simon of AFGE says her union is frustrated with the lack of attention being paid to federal workers' concerns over sequestration. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service discusses possible changes agencies may face in President Obama's second term.
January 22, 2013 -
Guidance from the administration on what steps federal agencies should take to prepare for potential across-the-board budget cuts has set off a war of words between federal-employee unions and industry groups. The American Federation of Government Employees says guidance exempts contractors at the expense of federal employees, but industry groups say the criticism is misguided.
January 18, 2013 -
At the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations meeting, several employee representatives said the time has come for the committee to put more pressure on agencies to have more of the collaborative forums up and running well. During a time of budget reductions, possible furloughs and a government shutdown, the unions say the forums provide a way for agencies to better manage all of these fiscal challenges.
January 17, 2013 -
Dwight Bowman, the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees' 14th district, died suddenly Wednesday morning, the union announced.
January 16, 2013 -
The House soundly rejected an amendment to the Superstorm Sandy aid bill that would have required an across-the-board 1.63 percent cut to agency spending to offset the emergency funding. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) introduced the amendment last week along with a separate proposal to revoke a mass-transit subsidy for federal workers.
January 15, 2013 -
A series of cost-savings amendments to the Superstorm Sandy aid bill the House will consider this week has drawn the ire of a federal-employee union who say the proposals "unfairly target" government workers. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) has proposed defraying some of the costs of the $50 billion recovery package by rescinding a mass-transit tax benefit for federal employees and by ordering more across-the-board agency budget cuts.
January 14, 2013 -
Defense Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter told DoD components Thursday to draw up plans for full-year continuing resolution, plus sequestration. The approach to deal with across-the-board cuts would be to freeze civilian hiring, cut training, travel and conferences and reduce business technology expenditures.
January 11, 2013 -
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" TSA Local 1230 President James Mudrock discusses the union's successful efforts to halt a privatization initiative at the Sacramento International Airport. Women's Campaign Fund and She Should Run President and CEO Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, Economic Policy Institute President Larry Mishel and AFGE Member Benefits Coordinator Mark Williams also appear.
January 09, 2013 -
Bill Dougan, the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, says Congress and the White House shouldn't make federal employees have to wait for a raise.
January 07, 2013 -
The bill to avert the "fiscal cliff" reinstates parity between the parking and mass-transit subsidies. The mass-transit subsidy was reduced in 2011 to $125 even as a similar subsidy for parking benefits was increased to $240 a month.
January 02, 2013 -
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" the program revisits several memorable interviews from 2012. Guests include Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and Donna Christensen, D- Virgin Islands, and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D- Ohio, who participated in a congressional roundtable on health care reform. Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Rebuild the Dream President and Co-founder Van Jones also appear.
January 02, 2013 -
Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick introduced a bill to extend the pay freeze for federal workers for all of fiscal 2013. The Senate still must pass the bill.
January 02, 2013