National Treasury Employees Union

• IRS to pay employee bonuses at lower percentage rate

  The Internal Revenue Service and the National Treasury Employees Union reached an agreement that will see the IRS pay frontline employees performance awards starting in the spring. Acting IRS chief Danny Werfel canceled payouts of the awards last July, even though the union said the agency was obligated to pay them.

  Management

  February 03, 2014
• Report: Budget, training cuts put IRS ‘at risk’

  In an annual report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, wrote that the IRS faces "unstable and chronic underfunding that puts at risk the IRS's ability to meet its current responsibilities, much less articulate and achieve the necessary transformation to an effective, modern tax agency."

  Budget

  January 10, 2014
• Pay gap between federal employees, private-sector workers continues to grow

  The gap in pay between federal employees and private-sector workers widened slightly this year, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Federal Salary Council. On average, federal employees earn 35.37 percent less than their private-sector counterpart, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  Workforce

  December 17, 2013
• Cause, effect of DHS morale problems tied to leadership vacancies

  Despite progress in confirming a new secretary and deputy secretary, DHS still features a large number of officials in acting roles. Former Secretary Tom Ridge told lawmakers the department cannot build nor sustain a mission-focused culture with so many non-permanent positions. NTEU says pay freezes, budget cuts and the government shutdown are more to blame for low morale across DHS and the entire government.

  Management

  December 13, 2013
• AFGE, NTEU try to stave off changes to retirement benefits

  The two employee unions say lawmakers shouldn't make up for sequestration cuts by forcing federal employees to contribute more to their retirement. House and Senate legislators are working on a small-scale budget deal that reportedly includes a provision to alter federal retirement benefits.

  Budget

  December 06, 2013
• Mass-transit subsidy, once again, set to decline

  If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, a tax subsidy for commuters who use mass transit is set to drop from a maximum of $245 a month to $130. At the same time, fringe benefits for parking are set to rise to $250 a month starting in January. Two stand-alone measures in the House and Senate would restore parity between the parking and mass-transit subsidies

  Benefits

  November 26, 2013
• Pay freeze, sequestration take bite out of employee satisfaction, OPM survey reveals

  Frustrations over federal pay, budget cuts and uncertain agency funding have weakened federal-employee satisfaction, according to the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Employee Viewpoint survey released Friday. For the second year in a row, overall employee satisfaction scores fell, dipping below 60 percent this year. Meanwhile, less than half of federal employees said they believe they have sufficient resources — such as material, staff and funding — to do their jobs effectively.

  Workforce

  November 08, 2013
• Fed groups: Pay and benefits should be off the table in budget talks

  A coalition of more than two dozen federal-employee unions and advocacy groups is calling on budget negotiators to come up with a way to undo the across-the-board sequestration budget cuts that are poised to slash agency spending by billions more this year. But following three years of a pay freeze and the recent 16-day government shutdown, the groups are equally adamant that changes to federal employees' pay and benefits should be off the table.

  Budget

  November 08, 2013
• Issa bill would open FEHBP to all Americans, but at what cost?

  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced a bill that would open up the federal health program to all Americans, but one federal employee union has come out to oppose it and benefits experts question how much it would cost.

  Congress

  October 24, 2013
• Pentagon says shutdown wasted at least $600 million

  A tally totaling the costs of the government shutdown on the Defense Department only includes lost work-hours from civilian furloughs, not additional government costs from interest payments, contract delays or other impacts from the shutdown. AFGE and NTEU are asking agencies to speed up back pay to federal workers.

  Congress

  October 18, 2013
• Majority of feds worried about finances, survey says

  A survey by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) reveals that the the majority of federal employees are facing financial hardships due to the government shutdown.

  Congress

  October 16, 2013
• House fails to pass bills to reopen parts of government

  Lower chamber legislators could not get two-thirds approval for one bill to fund the National Park Service, and another bill to get the Veterans Affairs Department fiscal 2014 money. AFGE, NTEU and Democrat lawmakers rallied on Capitol Hill Tuesday to turn up the heat on Congress to reopen the government.

  Congress

  October 02, 2013
• Feds learn furlough status as shutdown looms

  Federal employees began learning Friday whether they'll be forced to stay home if the government shuts down next week. Supervisors were tasked with informally telling employees today whether they are classified as "essential" or "nonessential," according to several federal-employee unions briefed by the Obama administration. Congress is prepared to work through the weekend, but the clock is ticking down for lawmakers to agree on a funding bill keeping the lights on at agencies beyond Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

  Congress

  September 27, 2013
• Canceled furlough day welcome, but what about Aug. 30?

  NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley applauded IRS' decision to cancel its July 22 furlough day, but she says that's not enough. July 17, 2013

  Mike Causey

  July 17, 2013