Changing the Federal Hiring Process
The President has issued an Executive Order that authorizes noncompetitive appointments to federal jobs for spouses of military personnel.
Bailouts and Blame
Where does most of the blame reside for the current mortgage/credit crisis? What do readers think of the bailout plan and would they support such the bailout proposal? Here is a summary of the views of those responding to our survey this week.
Response to ‘Obama and NATCA: Friendly Skies or Fire from the Heavens’
NATCA President Patrick Forrey says that a recent article on the labor portion of the 2008 Democratic Party’s platform obscures the issues “through the recalling of the most unfortunate incident in Federal labor-management relations history.”
Retiring at the End of the Year?
Are you retiring at the end of the year? If so, here are several tips that may make the process less stressful.
Gender Change and the Federal Hiring Process
A male applicant selected for a job at the Library of Congress had his job offer rescinded when he told the agency he would be starting the new job as a woman.
Buying Stocks at “The Point of Maximum Pessimism”
Are stock market investors at “the point of maximum pessimism”? It isn’t possible to know but there is plenty of evidence to think we are at least in the vicinity. Here is a chart that shows how stocks have fared after dramatic one-day drops and how the stocks had fared one year later.
Senate Holds Hearings on FLRA Nominees: Acting Committee Chair Thumps Bush Administration
Thomas Beck and Carol Pope’s hearings for appointment to the FLRA were held on September 11. Amid some Bush bashing, hints on the Democrats future plans for Federal labor relations were provided by the only Senator present for the hearing.
TSP Drops Fast; 2009 COLA Rate Also Drops
The stock market has been falling fast and TSP return rates are falling along with the market. And, this will surprise some current and future federal retirees, the current COLA adjustment for next January also dropped in the past month. Here is a quick summary of your TSP returns and the 2009 COLA adjustment.
OPM Encourages Use of Referral Bonuses: Get a Friend to Apply for a Job with Uncle Sam and Make a Few Bucks
OPM is encouraging agencies to utilize their flexibilities to pay bonuses to current employees who get people to apply for government jobs. The author asks a few questions about the impact of this on labor relations and agency budgets.
Not Eligible to Retire? What Happens if You Create New Data for Your Retirement Application?
A federal engineer was going to be fired after giving false information. The agency agreed to let him retire. He then lied on his retirement application and was indicted. OPM terminated his retirement annuity as he did not meet the age requirement. A court finds the settlement agreement could not prohibit the agency from reporting misconduct to the appropriate authority for prosecution and he does not have a case.
