This week AFGE's "Inside Government" explores LGBT employee issues in the federal workplace with Frank Fragomene, an EEO specialist and attorney from the AFGE Women's and Fair Practices Department; Sasha Buchert, a staff attorney at the Transgender Law Center; and, Darren Phelps, the AFL-CIO executive director of Pride at Work. Cheryl Eliano, the AFGE local 1920 president, also joins the program and discusses her experience during both of the shootings at Fort Hood.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce, hosted a hearing Tuesday to discuss the low morale of federal employees and explore possible solutions for agencies seeking to improve it.
Special Rebroadcast from April 11, 2014: This week AFGE's "Inside Government" focuses on the second tragedy at Fort Hood. The AFGE DEFCON Chair Don Hale discusses the incident and what the Department of Defense has done since the first incident in 2009; Jeff Zuhlke, the President of the AFGE Law Enforcement Committee and Chair on DEFCON's Police and Security Working Group explains security on military installations; Michelle Washington, a Doctor at the VA with an MS and PHD in Mental and Behavioral Health discusses PTSD, its symptoms and how to treat it; and in a second segment, Hale discusses the threats that civilian employees and military families face in the 2015 Budget Proposal.
This week on AFGE's Inside Government, Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness discusses the realities of tax reform; Bill Press of the Bill Press Show talks about the Affordable Care Act and its impact on the midterm elections, Union Radio and sequestration; Katherine McFate, president and CEO of the Center for Effective Government examines the impact of current federal funding levels; and, AFGE National President J. David Cox explains why AFGE is advocating for a 4 percent pay increase for government employees.
House Democrats are pushing for federal employees to get a pay raise next year that's more than three times larger than President Barack Obama proposed. A bill introduced Wednesday by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.) would provide federal employees with a 3.3 percent across-the-board pay raise in 2015.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" Transportation Security Administration Local 1230 President James Mudrock discusses ongoing safety concerns at TSA while Department of Veterans Affairs Local 2425 Secretary-Treasurer LaDean Mitchell shares her dedication and commitment to caring for veterans. Professor Jeffrey Hilgert, author of "Hazard or Hardship: Crafting Global Norms on the Right to Refuse Unsafe Work," also appears.
Career diplomats are unhappy with certain diplomatic appointees.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" retired AFGE members Terri Blackburn and Bob Thompson join Local 1662 President Katie Rasdall to discuss the union's Defense Conference mentor program. Local 3377 President Kevin Tinker and Vice President Cynthia Jarvis address concerns at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. VA Local 2109 member John Mabane and Local 1988 steward Marcellus Shields highlight the union's Y.O.U.N.G. program
The White House's fiscal 2015 budget proposal released Tuesday aims to boost funding for federal-employee training, which has been hard hit by across-the-board sequestration cuts in recent years. The budget also proposes a 1 percent pay increase for federal employees and leaves untouched federal retirement programs.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" EPA Council 238 Executive Vice President Denise Morrison and Local 704 President John O'Grady discuss the impact of staffing and budget cuts at EPA. AFGE VA Local 1988 Executive Vice President Geddes Scott, TSA Local 554 President Robert Williams and Department of Transportation Local 3313 EVP Robena Reid also appear.
More than 100 members of the House and a dozen outside groups have signed on to a letter to President Barack Obama from Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) requesting that the upcoming White House budget not include a proposal to alter the way retirees' cost-of-living adjustments are calculated. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the American Federation of Government Employees and the Military Officers Association of American have signed on in support of the letter.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" attendees of the union's annual Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference discuss critical issues facing federal employees. Guests include Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray, Reps. Tom Cole (Okla.) and Chris Van Hollen (Md.), and the Rev. Terry Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. AFGE Council of Prison Locals Western Regional Vice President Michael Meserve also appears.
After playing defense for much of last year the largest federal-employee union is ready to play offense. American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox gave a fiery speech at the union's annual legislative and grassroots mobilization conference in Washington. Also addressing the AFGE crowd were lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.
After a turbulent 2013 that saw sequestration budget cuts and a two-week government shutdown, the largest federal-employee union is hoping to flex more political muscle this year. The American Federation of Government Employees says union membership is at its highest level in decades.
DoD opens its electronic medical records to VA claims processors for the first time. The goal is to shave days or weeks from the time it takes VA to decide disability claims for recently separated service members. But the launch of the system has had a few bugs.