This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" attendees of the union's annual Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference gather to address legislative priorities. Featured guests include Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D- Hawaii, A. Philip Randolph Institute President Clayola Brown, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) President Lee Saunders, and Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. Also, tune in for a special report from Capitol Hill at AFGE's joint rally for jobs with AFSCME featuring AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr., Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and more.
AFGE, AFSCME rally against the potential cuts from sequestration as part of their week-long legislative conference. Union members are meeting with lawmakers to ensure they understand the broader impact cuts due to sequestration would have on the nation and the economy.
The Small Business Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees inked a new three-year deal Thursday, extending a number of flexible workplace policies to more than 2,000 federal employees. Among the new benefits are streamlined telework privileges and the ability for employees to opt in to a four-day work-week with expanded hours each day.
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.
Dwight Bowman, the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees' 14th district, died suddenly Wednesday morning, the union announced.
Congress has cleared the way for a $633 billion defense policy bill that includes mandated reductions to the Defense Department's civilian and contractor workforces. Leaders of a House-Senate conference committee, tasked with reconciling competing versions of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, included in the final report the automatic workforce reductions that opponents say would result in about 36,000 job losses.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) discusses the sacrifices made by federal employees toward reducing the nation's deficit while AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. outlines the union's 2013 agenda. AFGE Defense Conference Chair Don Hale details the impact sequestration would have on civilian Defense Department workers.
Col. Jeremy Martin, commandant of the Defense Information School, talks about the most recent graduating class. Merry Korn, CEO of Pearl Interactive Network, discusses how her company is helping veterans find work. AFGE National President J. David Cox talks about the ratification of the TSA's first-ever collective bargaining agreement. Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon discusses efforts to transition veterans back into civilian life.
Federal-employee unions have hailed the re-election of President Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But despite the excitement, union leaders are tempering their expectations for a second term. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley and J. David Cox, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, told Federal News Radio their groups are ready to play an expanded role to deal with the budget deficit and alternatives to the sequestration cuts coming in January.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" National President J. David Cox and Legislative and Political Director Beth Moten analyze Election Day results and the impact on federal employees. AFGE Legislative Representative Marilyn Park then addresses the importance of Veterans Day, while Federal Emergency Management Agency Local 4060 President Robert Autrey discusses FEMA's response in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Po Collins of the National Contract Management Association talks ethics. Don Kettl, dean of the school of Public Policy, University of Maryland, sheds light on the election. Craig Karch of ICE talks about the return of antiquities to Mexico. Alexander Bolton of The Hill newspaper and J.David Cox, national president of AFGE, call in about the election.
This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" Council of Prison Locals President Dale Deshotel discusses a new GAO report about the impact of overcrowding in federal prisons. Also, more coverage from the Democratic National Convention with AFGE National President J. David Cox, Save the Children SVP Mark Shriver and former Clinton White House spokesman Bob Weiner.
Labor groups hoped to see more progress by now. But the administration has failed to live up to expectations about pay, benefits and government service.
It's no secret Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney envisions broad changes to the federal government and its workforce. In campaign speeches, Romney has spoken of aligning federal pay with that of the private sector and reducing the federal workforce through attrition. But federal unions say Romney's comments and proposals should give feds pause. This story is part of Federal News Radio's special, week-long multimedia report, The Obama Impact: Evaluating the Last Four Years.
The Democratic Party platform, released Tuesday, is short on specifics about the federal workforce, particularly relating to federal pay or the size of the federal workforce. However, the platform does cite President Barack Obama's efforts to pare back overly burdensome regulations and his proposed consolidation of federal agencies. "President Obama and the Democrats are committed to rethinking, reforming, and remaking our government so that it can meet the challenges of our time," the authors of the platform wrote.