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The Aging–and Retiring–Federal Workforce

If you were a big fan of the Beatles singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” you remember President Kennedy addressing the nation during the Cuban missile crisis; and you recall seeing Governor George Wallace standing in the door at the University of Alabama to block integration of the public school system on a black and white television set, you are older than most Americans. But many federal employees do recall these events because they were alive when they occurred.

Love in the Federal Workplace

Our patterns of courtship have changed with new technology. Ardent, would-be lovers are not the only people to use the Internet. One government employee found herself the victim of a scam–and the scammer got her personal information from her government computer.

Marriage, Death and Your Survivor Annuity

A federal employee who died was divorced in 1988 but never filed a form to remove his former wife as his designated beneficiary. What impact does that have on his ex-wife whom he had divorced almost 20 years ago? Where financial impact does it have on his new wife? As this case shows, actions you take (or do not take) have an impact on those you leave behind.

TSP Funds Turn Up in April

A few billion dollars were moved out of the TSP stock funds during the first quarter of this year. If you are a contrary investor, that may be a signal that stocks are headed up. And, for April at least, that is the case as all of the TSP funds are up for the month–with one exception.

The Politics (and Money) of Federal Union “Official Time”

In another dispute involving the union’s use of official time, FLRA backed off a stance taken in previous decision, reminding all of us again how important union institutional issues are to Federal unions and their friends among the “neutrals”. The author suggests that employee working conditions’ improvements take a back seat to union institutional issues again and that FLRA’s reversal is part of the politics of labor relations and clearly not part of the the law.