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An average 2008 pay raise of 3.5% for federal employees has passed a hurdle in the House of Representatives. Will Congress consider the merit of arguments for and against the pay raise or are other factors at play and will they help or hurt the final action on next year’s pay increase?
National health care is again a topic of interest in political campaigns and political discussions. Do you favor a national health care program? Do you think such a program will have a negative impact on the quality and availability of health care services? Would you be willing to pay more taxes to implement such a program?
What is a “management bias”? The author describes it as “a sympathy for those who must take the work forward in whatever direction the winds of political change push it.”
A rancher filed a lawsuit against employees of the Bureau of Land Management contending with numerous examples that he had suffered several years of harassment and intimidation because he would not grant an easement on his property. The court agreed with the government’s position that when the federal government is the “intended beneficiary of the allegedly extortionate acts,” then the act does not apply. The court concluded that the federal employees could not be sued individually for their campaign against the ownership rights of the rancher.
A federal employee who is subject to discipline will sometimes argue that the discipline was in retaliation for whistleblowing activity and that the discipline should be overturned. In this Air Force case, an employee admitted manipulating a process to steer contracts to one company but says the disciplinary action was retaliation. The court doesn’t buy it and leaves the 30-day suspension in place.
While some would argue that a former military member and federal employee should be held to a higher standard, this petitioner argued his status and poor health justified reducing his 33-month prison sentence. He took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court but, with the exception of Justice David Souter, he did not convince the court his case was meritorious.
Perhaps you will not need as much in retirement as you think. Here a few ways you will save money in retirement that you may not have considered–from a retired federal employees.
A little-known bill pending on Congress could be the “mother lode” of bureaucracy for one small federal agency. State and local governments may not like more power being transferred to an agency in Washington but what they want may not make much of a difference.
How can a bargaining team get a reasonable contract for a federal agency? “Be gentle with the union’s chief negotiator” (Rule 11) Here are several tips for getting through the bargaining process successfully from an experienced negotiator.
An earlier article on dress codes in the federal workplace generated many comments from federal employees. Here is a follow-up article to address some of the issues raised by readers.
