Nominations Sought for Presidential Rank Awards
OPM has put out a call for agencies to submit nominations for the Presidential Rank Awards.
Current Events
Current news and events impacting the federal workforce, both current federal employees and federal retirees.
IRS To Be Closed May 24, Four Other Days Due to Budget and Sequester
The Internal Revenue Service has closures planned for May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013.
Senate Republicans Call for Hearing on NLRB Budget Request
Senators are questioning the NLRB’s requested increase in funding for increased hiring when its caseload has dropped 9 percent.
How to Save Money for the Taxpayers, and Get Rewarded
A bill known as the “EASY Savings Act,” would provide an incentives of 1% of the agency’s cost savings, up to $10,000, to employees who report ways to save money. However, the law already exists.
Legislation Introduced to End Free Cell Phone Program
U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-La.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) have introduced legislation to end the welfare subsidy for mobile phone service in the Lifeline Program.
Legislation Introduced to Stop Blacklisting Resorts and Casinos
Legislation has been introduced to stop the practice by federal agencies of canceling or avoiding meetings at resorts and casinos.
Two Former DLA Employees Plead Guilty to Receiving Bribes
Two former employees at a Marine Corps base in Georgia have pleaded guilty to receiving bribes resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to the United States government.
What Makes An Arrangement Appropriate?
FLRA is not deciding any cases as they are missing two members. If the former Chair is reconfirmed, we can expect more union proposals to be offered and ordered negotiable as “appropriate arrangements” for violating a management statutory right. The Author recently covered this topic at the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals’ annual conference. This article offers the meat of that presentation and suggestions for dealing with FLRA on this issue.
Treasury Announces Next Step In Plan to Sell General Motors Common Stock
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced the next step in its plan to sell its approximately 241.7 million remaining shares of General Motors (GM) common stock with the initiation of a second pre-defined written trading plan.
Retirement Decisions in an Unstable Economy
The author says that economic stimulation in the United States cannot last forever and eventually we will have to go through some suffering to make things right. She says federal employees may see more changes coming to their retirement benefits and should have a realistic plan before making the decision to leave government service.
