Thursday, March 15, 2012

Mail Processing Facility Closure "utter disaster" says...

Article Title: Closure of Frederick Mail Processing Facility 'utter disaster,' according to director of union organization

Snippet of Article: "...sent to Baltimore to be sorted, has been an “utter disaster,” overwhelming the Baltimore plant and leading to mail delays of, in some cases, more than a month, said Richard Shelley, who works at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Facility ..."

Source: herald-mail.com

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Justice Department employees may see furloughs

Article Title: Justice warns of 5-week furloughs for 100,000 employees

Snippet of Article: "...More than 100,000 Justice Department employees — about 86 percent of the agency's workforce — would be furloughed for five weeks on average if automatic budget cuts take effect in January, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday...."

Source: www.federaltimes.com Federal Employee furloughs, Justice Department employees, sequestration budget cuts,

Friday, March 9, 2012

Postal Service suspending mail processing network consolidations

Article Title: Postal Service suspending mail processing network consolidations during the election mailing season

Snippet of Article: "...efforts include suspending mail processing network consolidations during..."

Source: Postal Newsgroup mail processing network consolidations, moratorium,

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Processing facility closures or consolidations not completed by the end of August will be put on hold

Article Title: Closure of some mail sites to be delayed for US vote

Snippet of Article: "...It announced on Wednesday that it would put any processing facility closures or consolidations not completed by the end of
August on hold until early 2013...."

Source: www.chicagotribune.com

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Los Alamos National Laboratory buyouts on the way

Article Title: Los Alamos Residents Brace for Layoffs at Lab

Snippet of Article: "...need to lay off up to 11 percent of its 7,600 permanent employees, a target that officials hope can be reached through volunteers. On Thursday, the lab’s director, Charles F. McMillan, met with employees to explain the terms of buyouts..."

Source: www.nytimes.com Federal Employee Buyouts, Early Retirements,

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

If RIF, what will be offered

Article Title: CSRS and break in service

Snippet of Article: "...If RIF, what will be offered to me for my retirement plan? 2. CSRS versus FERS..."

Source: federaltimes.com RIF,

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

More early retirement and buyouts for Agriculture Department

Article Title: The 2013 budget request: agency by agency

Snippet of Article: "...started closing 260 offices this year, plans to further use early retirement and buyouts to eliminate 900 more positions in 2013. Budget cuts forced..."

Source: www.federaltimes.com Early Retirements, Federal Employee Buyouts,

Friday, February 10, 2012

Bill to cut Federal Employee and Postal Pensions approved by House Panel

Article Title: House Panel Approves Bill To Cut Postal, Federal Pensions

Snippet of Article: "...legislation (H.R. 3813) was shepherded through the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by a pair of politicians who are well-known opponents of postal workers: Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL)..."

Source: The Postal Newsgroup Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Dennis A. Ross (R-Fla.), Federal Retirement Cuts, Federal Employee Retirement,

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

2011 Buyout Figures / Early Retirements

Article Title: GPO Reports Results of Buyouts / Early Outs

Snippet of Article: "...GPO offered buyouts and early outs to the agency's employees during the second half of calendar year 2011 as a result of overall Government cutbacks and projected reductions in appropriated funding. The buyout..."

Source: whattheythink.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

Blue Button technology arrives for Federal Employee Health Plans

Article Title: Federal health plans to offer Blue Button digital health-record access

Snippet of Article: "...the Blue Button technology, whose use was spearheaded by the Veterans Affairs Department, will make it easer to share digital records with family members and physicians...."

Source: www.federalnewsradio.com Blue Button technology

Monday, January 9, 2012

Federal Employee Pay Increase for 2013 is minuscule

Article Title: AFGE Statement on Proposed Federal Employee Pay Raise

Snippet of Article: "...American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage today issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration's proposed 0.5% federal employee pay raise for 2013..."

Source: www.sacbee.com

Monday, January 2, 2012

Federal worker rule

Article Title: Wait is over for federal worker rule but worries persist

Snippet of Article: "...It took DHS' U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services almost two years to issue the final worker rule. The rule was welcomed with a mixture of relief and anxiety...."

Source: www.saipantribune.com

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Federal employees' pay gains are slowest in 10 years

Article Title: Federal workers' pay gains are the slowest in 10 years

Snippet of Article: "...None of the wage gains kept pace with inflation. The federal pay numbers are the first full budget-year results since President Obama canceled automatic cost-of-living pay hikes..."

Source: www.usatoday.com
COLA, cost-of-living

Monday, December 19, 2011

Lawmakers stall Federal Employee unpaid furloughs for short period

Article Title: US Lawmakers Approve Government Funding

Snippet of Article: "...A shutdown would have forced government departments to halt non-essential operations and put tens of thousands of federal employees on unpaid furlough...."

Source: voanews.com Federal furlough, Federal employees,

Friday, December 16, 2011

Postal Service attempts to shutter vital mail processing facility in national defense mecca

Article Title: Huntsville mail processing center may relocate to Birmingham

Snippet of Article: "...Huntsville resident Ray Dunavant said if the measure passes, Huntsville will lose its historic postmark; something that Dunavant says is an emblem of a community...."

Source: Rocket City
destruction of postal service, essential services, Huntsville Alabama,

Friday, December 9, 2011

Huge cuts to federal employee pay and benefits

Article Title: Federal worker union opposes House GOP payroll tax plan

Snippet of Article: "...the measure would make “huge cuts to federal employee pay and benefits.”..."

Source: Federal pay cuts,

Monday, December 5, 2011

Another postal shooting (Montgomery, Alabama)

Article Title: Post office shooting suspect charged with Attempted Murder

Snippet of Article: "...postal worker carried two guns into the mail room at the post office and fired several shots. The suspect, 29-year-old Arthur Lee Darby Jr...."

Source: eastmontgomery.wsfa.com Postal Shooting

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Weakening of the federal retirement safety net

Article Title: Baby Boom Retirement: Financial Security Fades

Snippet of Article: "...it's vital to fend off any weakening of the federal retirement safety net..."

Source: www.theledger.com
federal retirement safety net, Medicare, Social Security,,

Monday, November 28, 2011

Federal records management system gets attention

Article Title: Obama wants better digital archive of federal records

Snippet of Article: "...announcement could be a boon for the Archives, which is facing a multi-year reorganization and earned the lowest ratings of any large federal agency in a recent survey of federal employees...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Guidance issued by OPM on workforce restructuring

Article Title: OPM issues guidance on workforce restructuring

Snippet of Article: "...A memo from OPM Director John Berry includes information for chief human capital officers on buyouts, early retirement packages, layoffs and reassignments...."

Source: www.govexec.com

Friday, November 25, 2011

Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings

Article Title: Getting federal employees and managers on the same page

Snippet of Article: "...listed No. 1 in this year’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, had been rated 25th out of 30 large agencies six years ago. ..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Federal Employee health care open season begins

Article Title: 'Open season' begins for federal employee health care

Snippet of Article: "...Even if a federal employee is happy with current health insurance, officials say it's probably a good idea to do at least a little research during "open season," which began Monday and runs through Dec. 12...."

Source: www.army.mil

Friday, November 11, 2011

USPS proposed health plan likely to cost agency more

Article Title: USPS proposal to leave federal health benefits program questioned

Snippet of Article: "...The U.S. Postal Service’s proposal to withdraw from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program likely will cost the cash-strapped agency more money, according to a health insurance expert...."

Source: gnom.es

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Complete ban on smoking in Federal Buildings

Article Title: Bill Aims to Snuff Smoke Spots in Fed Buildings

Snippet of Article: "...President Bill Clinton banned smoking in most federal offices by executive order in 1997. The order allowed for the establishment of smoking rooms...."

Source: www.newsmax.com