In what must have been a big surprise to the Department of Defense, the Federal Labor Relations Authority finds civilian access to commissaries and exchanges to be a negotiable working condition. The Author suggests a political payback may be involved in the decision. You be the judge.
For three decades, federal HR has been working with the 12 “factors” from an MSPB decision. However, much has changed since then.
People with no ability to see humor in a situation, or craft and deliver a joke, cannot make themselves funny. Now the good news: We can all make ourselves funnier. More good news: It’s not that difficult.
New people bring new ideas. OPM’s John Berry has been creative by urging time off for some in DC to get an extra hour to walk to the cherry blossoms and, later this week, hosting an event to come up with new recipes from federal employees to go into a federal government cookbook.
For the last several months the TSP has been running a beta test of its new website. Many of you who have accessed your TSP accounts have been given an opportunity to test the site and to make comments. The TSP claims the new site is “Better. Faster. Easier.” and that it is “improved” and “user friendly”.
There is potential good news on the horizon for federal employees who plan to retire with a large annual leave balance. The news relates to the ability to contribute their annual leave balance to the Thrift Savings Plan.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not been silent about its desire to change the federal hiring process which, it says, is too complex, takes too long and doesn’t get the job done in helping increase the size of Uncle Sam’s civilian army. Here is a significant change now being implemented.
Highlights from the Council meeting include approval of 24 implementation plans and return of 21. Permissive issue bargaining is apparently still a hot issue, and FLRA’s General Counsel and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service will offer joint training on the Executive order.
“Poorly-paid federal employees cope as best they can. Many defer retirement and work into their late sixties or seventies. Some claim as many as thirty federal tax exemptions—this is a strategy that offers short-term relief and long-term headaches when the IRS catches on and garnishes their salary. Many work a second job.”
In the author’s last article, “Agencies Legally Discriminate Based on Sexual Orientation,” readers asked whether it is “really” legal for agencies to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation under the current law. Here is a response to these questions.
