Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) wants to cut Congressional salaries by 10 percent and force federal civilian employees to take a two-week furlough in an attempt to cut costs. He says the cuts would save taxpayers some $5.5 billion.
Real proposed changes to federal employee pay and benefits always lead to rumors about how some will benefit and some will be harmed. The internet gives rumors a credible life of their own. Here are some of the latest rumors and the often less dramatic reality.
The Author explains that recent FLRA decisions have simplified life for FLRA members by allowing them to dismiss arbitration appeals with a simple form letter. The FLRA’s approach while easier for its members has raised both the cost and difficulty of resolving grievances throughout the Federal sector. Agency managers and representatives must now go into major defensive mode when dealing with an employee grievance. Read on and see what the Author recommends.
The Fair Labor Standards Act has resulted in decisions costing federal agencies tens of millions of dollars in overtime payments paid to bargaining unit employees wrongly designated as exempt from the FLSA. This final part of the article discusses agency strategies in dealing with FLSA designations.
The “Federal Employee Accountability Act of 2011” would eliminate federal employee union representatives from getting their federal salary while representing a union. The sponsor says it would save about $600 million over five years.
H.R. 122 is a bill that has been introduced in the new Congress to limit the circumstances under which official time may be used by a federal employee. It would repeal provisions of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that allow federal employees to use official work hours to perform union functions or participate in union activities.
The deficit commission has made a number of recommendations that may impact your pay and benefits as a federal employee. Here is what we know, what we do not know, and why it is your best interests to pay close attention to these changes.
An agency Inspector General, appointed by President George W. Bush and fired by President Obama, was recently handed a defeat in his attempt to overturn his firing.
The Partnership for Public Service is seeking nominations for the nation’s most outstanding federal employees.
The author offers up a recap of the more bizarre and exotic stories in Federal sector labor and employee relations. Each year we think it couldn’t get wackier and each year it does. Again, we don’t make up these stories.
