Workforce
Lawmakers, employee groups call for a permanent increase in federal firefighter pay
Under current measures implemented by the Biden administration, federal wildland firefighters will face yet another “pay cliff” this fall.
Workforce
Employees ratify TSA’s first union contract since rights expansion
The American Federation of Government Employees’ new collective bargaining agreement streamlines grievance and arbitration rules and greatly expands work-life balance policies like shift trading.
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Pay & Benefits
Biden proposes 2% raise for feds in 2025 budget
Following multiple years of multi-decade record pay increases, the White House cited “fiscal constraints” facing agencies to justify smaller raises next year.
Oversight
OPM slices record retirement processing time in February
The overall retirement backlog ticked back under 20,000 last month, amid the federal government’s HR agency’s busy season.
Management
Biden uses State of the Union to paint Republicans as barriers
The president scolded former President Trump and House GOP lawmakers for scuttling a bipartisan plan to boost border agency staffing, and frequently touted governmental investments enacted without Republican support.
Workforce
Biden order expands federal apprenticeships, reestablishes labor-management forums
Federal employee unions say the new order provides much-needed teeth to the president’s existing labor policies.
Workforce
Congress' minibus spending deal could potentially avert firefighter pay cliff
Lawmakers have until Friday evening to pass the first of two spending packages that will run until Sept. 30.
Workforce
FLRA: CBP owes backpay to officers denied nightwork premium pay
The chairwoman of the body that oversees federal sector labor issues also expressed an openness to revisiting the legal definition of repudiating a union contract.
Pay & Benefits
Most TSP funds gained ground in February
Only one of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended last month in the red.
Oversight
GAO says TSA's employee engagement problems linger, despite some improvements
Though the Transportation Security Administration experienced an uptick in employee engagement following the implementation of major pay increases last year, leaders have not addressed other factors contributing to low workforce morale.
Workforce
Biden administration details strategic plan to hire military spouses
Improving the recruitment and retention of spouses of servicemembers has been a bipartisan priority in recent years, as military families report economic precarity as a reason to leave public service.
Workforce
One agency’s Trump-era plan included stripping protections from 68% of its workforce
The Office of Management and Budget appeared to have taken a maximalist approach to the controversial job category, proposing to strip the civil service protections from IT workers, recruiters and even executive assistants.
Oversight
Agencies need to beef up sexual harassment training for employees, GAO says
Selected federal agencies and components of the Defense Department have only partially implemented an array of training practices aimed at preventing sexual harassment and do not sufficiently evaluate the effectiveness of their existing training programs, the watchdog found.
Management
OPM unveils its ‘future of work playbook’ for agencies to revamp HR processes
The federal government’s dedicated HR agency’s latest piece of guidance offers a list of concrete ways that human capital leaders can implement the Biden administration’s workforce agenda.
Oversight
Federal prison employees falsified logs in case where inmate committed suicide, IG says
The Justice Department inspector general last week urged the Bureau of Prisons to adopt stricter rules governing special housing unit rounds logs after lax policies potentially impaired the ability to prosecute the employees.
Management
OPM announces survey to analyze AI in government jobs
The move marks the second step in a years-long process to prep federal agencies for working with artificial intelligence.
Management
Amid budget squeeze, FLRA panel regs encourage electronic documents filing
Less physical paper taken in by the board that settles bargaining-table disputes between unions and agencies will help streamline workloads as its parent agency reduces its office footprint due to budget woes.
Workforce
OPM’s 2024 equity goals aim to expand data-based approach
The federal government’s HR agency plans to expand the use of data to analyze recruitment barriers for underserved communities as well as outreach at minority-serving educational institutions in the coming year.
Pay & Benefits
OPM makes it easier for ex-military feds to access paid parental, medical leave
The tweak, which allows federal workers to count past military service toward the 12-month service requirement of parental and Family and Medical Leave Act leave, stems from a provision of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
Pay & Benefits
OPM faces its first test of recent retirement processing tweaks
The number of new retirement claims received by the federal government’s HR agency doubled in January, marking the start of the annual busy season.
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