Federal Employee questions on budgetary threats

Article Title: 10 questions and answers on budgetary threats to federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...Federal employees are facing a triple threat of their own: from the government hitting its debt ..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

2013 Federal Pay Raise Vote Delayed

Article Title: House Vote to Block Federal Workers' Pay Raise Postponed

Snippet of Article: "...The measure, sponsored by Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., would prevent a 0.5 percent pay raise set in April for federal employees, which is estimated to cost about $11 million a year. No new date for floor action on the vote has been set – but it would not occur until next month at the earliest. ..."

Source: www.nationaljournal.com

GOP ramps up rhetoric against federal worker pay ahead of deficit debate

Article Title: Congress readies for next fight over federal pay

Snippet of Article: "...GOP ramps up rhetoric ahead of deficit debate..."

Source: baltimoresun.com

Additional Postal closures announced - speeding up the demise of a once great institution

Article Title: USPS Announces Additional Closings/Consolidations

Snippet of Article: "... An additional eighteen, (18), facilities are now on the chopping block for calendar year 2013. The list of facilities is also attached. It is anticipated that these facilities will be impacted mid-year, (although the Postal Service has not announced an exact time frame yet)...."

Source: www.npmhu.org

Defense prepping for layoffs, furloughs and hiring freezes

Article Title: Military services to freeze hiring, lay off temps, prep for furloughs

Snippet of Article: "...The Defense Department is freezing civilian hiring, laying off temporary workers, considering furloughs for hundreds of thousands of civilian employees, and cutting back on contracts to prepare for the likelihood of severe budget reductions this year...."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

Congress again holds America hostage to protect the wealthy

Article Title: Fiscal issues put federal workers in crosshairs — again

Snippet of Article: "...If Congress doesn’t raise the nation’s debt ceiling, which limits the amount Sam can borrow to pay his bills, Obama made it clear that federal employees will be among those who suffer...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

More definitive roadmap to become senior level managers

Article Title: OPM better defines leadership development roadmap

Snippet of Article: "...Federal employees aspiring to become senior level managers now have a more definitive roadmap to follow. The Office of Personnel Management just released the Federal Supervisory Training Framework. ..."

Source: www.federalnewsradio.com

Letter Carriers (NALC) settle contract arbitration

Article Title: Arbitration board issues award: Sets terms of the 2011-2016 National Agreement; ‘NALC achieves its major goals,’ Rolando says

Snippet of Article: "...The three-person board of arbitrators has issued a final and binding award that sets the terms of a four-and-a-half-year collective-bargaining agreement between the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service, NALC President Fredric Rolando announced on Jan. 11...."

Source: www.nalc.org NALC, Letter Carriers, National Contract Award, 2013 COLA, NALC COLA,

Treausury employees get more time in planned relocation

Article Title: 450 Treasury employees get reprieve on planned relocation

Snippet of Article: "...The employees initially had until January 2015 to relocate as part of an effort to consolidate the Treasury Department’s Financial Management Service with the Bureau of Public Debt. The new timeline gives the employees until the end of 2019...."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

You just took a big pay cut, no matter how they want you to look at it

Article Title: Obama Already Getting Flak for the Payroll Tax Hike

Snippet of Article: "...Obama described the bill as “preventing a middle-class tax hike” that could have hurt families and sent the country back into a recession; that is true, but it allowed another middle-class tax hike that could have the same effect. He also said that middle-class families “will not see their income taxes go up.” That is false, unless one goes along with the idea — and most of Washington does — that payroll taxes, which are on income and levied by the federal government, are not federal income taxes...."

Source: www.nationalreview.com

2013 Federal employee pay raise shoved over fiscal cliff

Article Title: House votes to freeze congressional, federal worker pay

Snippet of Article: "...The fiscal cliff deal, passed with 89 votes in the Senate, includes language that would block a 0.5 percent cost of living pay increase for lawmakers, reversing parts of an executive order Obama issued last week – because Congress had yet to set the federal government’s pay scale for 2013...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com 2013 Federal employee pay raise

Federal workers brace for furloughs

Article Title: Federal workers brace for furloughs

Snippet of Article: "...Federal workers are bracing for furloughs that could start to take place in the next few months if Congress doesn't replace massive budget cuts scheduled to begin Wednesday...."

Source: money.cnn.com

Boehner pushes for chained CPI

Article Title: Boehner pushes COLA cuts in fiscal cliff talks

Snippet of Article: "...Multiple news organizations are reporting that House Speaker John Boehner included the so-called chained Consumer Price Index in his latest proposal to President Obama seeking to avert the fiscal cliff...."

Source: federaltimes.com chained CPI

2013 Federal Employee pay raise

Article Title: New AFGE president suggests retroactive pay raise for feds

Snippet of Article: "...Obama announced earlier this week that he would use his authority to grant federal employees the across-the-board 0.5 percent pay raise he had proposed for 2013, but only after Congress passes a budget. ..."

Source: www.govexec.com 2013 Federal Employee pay raise

Federal employee furloughs not expected for civilian defense workforce

Article Title: Officials say WPAFB temporary layoffs might be 'unavoidable' in budgets

Snippet of Article: "...job furloughs for the civilian defense workforce won’t be used right away if a deal is not struck this week to avert the fiscal cliff, but the Pentagon’s top leader said temporary layoffs later might be unavoidable...."

Source: www.journal-news.com

Contractors first to feel fiscal cliff dive

Article Title: Sequestration already hitting contractors

Snippet of Article: "...the threat of draconian budget cuts has caused federal agencies to realize new priorities, alter their procurement strategies, add scrutiny to their spending and — through collaboration with industry — seek ways to reduce waste and increase efficiency. Months of this kind of planning won’t end if sequestration dies...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

President Obama gives Federal Employees Christmas Eve Off

Article Title: President gives federal workers day off work for Christmas Eve

Snippet of Article: "...President Obama on Friday signed an executive order giving federal employees a day off work for Christmas Eve, which falls on Monday this year. ..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Furloughs for federal employees as a last resort

Article Title: Furloughs could result from sequestration as last resort, administration says

Snippet of Article: "...plans to inform federal employees that furloughs could result as a last resort if the White House and Congress do not come to an agreement..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com Federal Employee furloughs

This is how the USPS treats those that serve our country

Article Title: Guardsman ordered reinstated by Postal Service with back pay

Snippet of Article: "...USPS continued to pursue the case even after Erickson won two decisions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. When the USPS refused to reinstate Erickson in 2000, the father of three from Ft. Meyers, Fla., re-enlisted in the National Guard and deployed to Afghanistan as part of a Special Forces team. He has received over 35 medals and decorations..."

Source: www.stripes.com

Postmaster General Earns Almost As Much As the President

Article Title: Postal chief's $384,000 pay sparks call for cut

Snippet of Article: "...The chief of the struggling U.S. Postal Service received $384,229 in compensation last year -- and at least one lawmaker thinks he should take a paycut...."

Source: money.cnn.com

virtual workplace flexibility toolkit launched by DOL

Article Title: DOL launches virtual workplace flexibility toolkit

Snippet of Article: "...Department of Labor launched its online Workplace Flexibility Toolkit to provide employees, jobseekers, employers, policymakers, and researchers with information, resources, and a unique approach to workplace flexibility, including leave issues. ..."

Source: blr.com Workplace Flexibility Toolkit

Things TSA found in baggage this week

Article Title: TSA Week in Review: A Roundup of the Prohibited Items Discovered This Week

Snippet of Article: "...It’s important to check your bags prior to traveling. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found in strange places. ..."

Source: tsa.gov

Congress gotta get home for Christmas before screwing over Social Security and Medicare

Article Title: Congress: Merry Christmas, suckers

Snippet of Article: "...Speaker John Boehner told members to go home for Christmas but be back the next day. (Congress = The Bart Simpson who stole Christmas?)..."

Source: firstread.nbcnews.com

Federal worker fatally shoots self inside Alabama courthouse

Article Title: Federal employee fatally shoots self inside Alabama courthouse

Snippet of Article: "...Police say a federal employee is dead after shooting himself inside the city's main federal court building in Birmingham...."

Source: www.foxnews.com