Steve Oppermann

Author: Steve Oppermann

Steve Oppermann completed his Federal career on March 31, 1997, after more than 26 years of service, virtually all in human resources management. He served as Regional Director of Personnel for GSA and advised and represented management in six agencies during his federal career. Steve passed away after a battle with cancer on December 22, 2013.

Raiders of the Lost Art, Part Two: Analysis of an FLSA Arbitration Case

The overtime and associated costs paid by multiple Federal agencies in arbitration decisions or in settlements reached by the parties on Fair Labor Standards Act cases is staggering. In the second of these articles, the author provides an analysis from a Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) case and why agencies are losing these cases.

Raiders of the Lost Art: “Overtime Lawyer” Loots Treasury (Legally)

A few months ago, a colleague forwarded to the author a number of recent arbitration decisions which had gone against Federal agencies and had resulted in tens of millions of dollars in overtime payments to bargaining unit employees wrongly designated as exempt from the FLSA. The overtime and associated costs paid by multiple Federal agencies in arbitration decisions or in settlements reached by the parties was truly staggering.

How Federal Employees See Themselves (And Are Seen): Part Two

The importance of public confidence in Federal agencies cannot be overstated. Federal employee misconduct has been in the news all too often. While misconduct cases often make entertaining reading, they can have serious consequences with regard to agency mission and funding. When allegations of misconduct are significant, the image of all Federal employees is tarnished. Agencies have to challenge themselves to elevate their game.

Office of Special Counsel Prosecutes HR Specialists for Allegedly Helping Agency Management Pre-select a Candidate: The Sequel

From the perspective of a selecting official, the key to avoiding pre-selection is to remain open-minded when considering all of the candidates referred to you, since the best-qualified candidate may be someone from outside your unit, your agency, and perhaps even the Federal Government.

Office of Special Counsel Prosecutes HR Specialists for Allegedly Helping Agency Management Pre-select a Candidate

Human resources specialists may want to take particular note of this article. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has successfully prosecuted two human resources specialists accused of engaging in a prohibited personnel practice by attempting to help agency management pre-select a candidate for a vacancy.

Bullied to Death? A 15-Year-Old Massachusetts Girl Hangs Herself After Relentless Bullying at School

I think that we Americans do outrage particularly well. The problem I see is with our recurring lack of follow-up to such horrific incidents. In this case, I would have great difficulty understanding a lack of outrage on the part of anyone reading the article quoted above or the many other stories about Phoebe Prince’s tragic death.