Current news and events impacting the federal workforce, both current federal employees and federal retirees.
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.
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.
Is a four day/10 hour a day workweek a good idea for the federal workforce? Congressman Steny Hoyer raised the issue recently and OPM responded with a letter rejecting the idea. FedSmith readers generally like the idea. Here are the results of last week’s survey.
As President of the United States, how would John McCain approach managing the millions of federal employees who would be working for him? What changes would he be likely to make and how would his philosophy influence the federal workforce?
Congressman Steny Hoyer wrote OPM to ask for a quick study on a four-day workweek for the federal workforce in the name of energy conservation. OPM tells the Congressman it isn’t such a good idea.
TSP stock fund returns were all up for August, with the exception of the I fund which took a drubbing and is down more than 17% for the year.
The human resources director for a new and different federal organization says that this new agency is different than many agencies and “on the cutting edge of international development assistance.”
If you are considering applying for the federal employee long-term care insurance program, here are several factors that may impact when you apply.
“Drill here, drill now” has become a political hot topic as gas prices have been soaring. One argument against drilling: The oil companies are not even drilling with existing leases. A decision from a federal appeals court finds that the government reneged on off-shore leases off the California coast and kept the companies from exploring and tapping off-shore resources. The government has been ordered to pay more than $1.1 billion to the leaseholders.
How do you deal with “Cants” in the federal government? These are people who are not necessarily devious, lazy or malevolent but they are incompetent and cannot do all of what they are being paid to do–but may still cost $100,000 a year or more in salary and overhead. Here are tips for agencies on where to begin.
