Stay updated with breaking news and major events affecting federal employees, including government shutdowns, office closures, emergency announcements, legislative developments, and nationwide issues impacting federal agencies and the federal workforce.
As federal labor relations staffs dwindle, more managers are being called upon to negotiate a labor agreement for an agency. Here are a few suggestions from an experienced federal negotiator you should think about before accepting such an assignment.
A VA employee who was placed on a performance improvement plan and given a notice of proposed removal for unacceptable performance was offered a transfer. The employee went to the MSPB and then to court arguing that the transfer was involuntary.
An Air Force employee who was transferred and then did not receive an upgrade because of poor performance decided to retire before his performance improvement plan was up. After he retired, he argued his retirement was involuntary and his case eventually went into federal court.
T.J. Bonner, President of the National Border Patrol Council, responds to a recent article regarding the vote of “no confidence” in the Chief of the US Border Patrol. The author states that “…the motivation for the vote of no confidence was not malice toward Chief Aguilar…but rather a sense of duty and devotion to this country….”
The Postal Service reached a settlement with an employee being demoted. The former postmaster was to apply for disability retirement and the agency was to cooperate and facilitate his application. A federal court says the agency did not live up to its end of the bargain and send the case back to the MSPB.
Welcome to the Internet revolution. Some readers ask why we run news articles that we know (or should know) that our readers will not like? Why do we run news items that make some federal employees look bad?
Most people want a promotion–including military officers. This Naval officer went to court to get a promotion but the Navy gets the case thrown out on summary judgment.
A patent examiner has lost in her bid to persuade the MSPB and a federal court that her resignation was involuntary. The issue is not the employee’s subjective beliefs but whether a reasonable person would have felt compelled to resign.
In most cases, a federal employee who is an alcoholic will not be able to keep a federal security clearance. In an unusual case, one federal employee kept his security clearance despite years of excessive drinking.
Taping a cell phone call can lead to interesting consequences. In this case, a couple taped a call made on a cell phone from an Ohio Congressman. Another Congressman released the contents of the tape to the media. The Ohio Congressman has now been awarded $60,000 in damages and fees from the Congressman who released the tape to the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
