The Debt Limit and Your TSP Fund
How safe is your TSP in a major recession and with extraordinarily large government debt as a common topic in the media?
Year: 2011
Federal Civil Service: A Climate for Reform?
The Author asks whether the public feeling that created a new majority in the House of Representatives may include an appetite for reform of Federal employment rules. In this article, he reviews the last reform act and some of its unintended consequences. Many consider the prior reform act a major failure. Read on and make your mind up for yourself.
Passing Along Problem From One Agency to Another
USDA eventually found that an HR assistant had worked out a settlement with a previous federal employer to undo her removal by that agency. Her new employer also fired her.
Too Many Within-Grade Steps
As we all know, the two-year salary freeze has a loophole. Step increases will still be granted. This suggests another way to achieve savings, a way that will be permanent, and will ultimately save more money.
HR 270: A Bill To Provide Reduction in Congressional Pay and Federal Employee Furlough
H.R. 270: A bill to provide for a 10 percent reduction in pay for Members of Congress, to make Federal civilian employees subject to a period of mandatory unpaid leave, to reduce appropriations for salaries and expenses for offices of the legislative branch during fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes.
Seeking Furloughs for Federal Employees
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.
Will Changes to Federal Employee Benefits Provide a Financial Windfall (or Disaster)? The Joy and Pain of the Rumor Mill
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 Foreboding Future of Grievances in Federal Labor Relations
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.
Raiders of the Lost Art, Part Three: Lessons Learned from FLSA Grievances
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.
Political Reality, Federal Employee Unions and the Financial Future of Federal Employees
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.
