Pay & Benefits

Holidaze

An extra day off at Christmas? Don’t count on it.

Defense

Homeland employees’ jobs, pay safe for at least a year

Homeland Security Department employees will be able to keep their jobs and current pay rates for at least a year after they transfer from their current agencies to the new department, Office of Personnel Management officials said Tuesday.

Defense

Homeland officials must work with employees on civil service rules

The Homeland Security Department’s leaders must consult with employee organizations before making any changes to civil service rules for the department’s 170,000 employees, under the law creating the new Cabinet-level agency.

Pay & Benefits

Waiting on a raise

What's happening when with the 2003 federal pay raise.

Defense

Homeland Security leaders win broad power over civil service rules

Civil service laws governing pay and promotions, job classification, collective bargaining, performance appraisals, discipline and firing will not apply to the 170,000 employees of the new Homeland Security Department under the homeland legislation approved by Congress this week.

Management

Bill ties higher SES pay to lower performance ratings

Federal agencies could pay their best senior executives more each year—if the agencies lower performance ratings for their executives overall, under a provision included in the pending homeland security legislation.

Defense

Homeland bill includes personnel, benefits changes for all agencies

Agencies across the federal government will get new personnel powers and incentives for employees under the bill creating the new Department of Homeland Security.

Pay & Benefits

OPM announces new executive team

The Office of Personnel Management will have a new executive team within the next few weeks, OPM Director Kay Coles James announced Tuesday.

Defense

Transportation agency hires 44,000 screeners; union aims for them

The Transportation Security Administration met a congressional deadline to federalize passenger screeners at the nation’s 429 major airports, hiring more than 44,000 employees in the last year, Bush administration officials said Monday.

Pay & Benefits

Senate passes TSP catch-up contributions bill

Federal employees age 50 or older will be able to contribute thousands of more dollars to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts each year, under a bill passed by Congress this week.

Pay & Benefits

Buyouts all around

Most agencies are getting a gift in the Homeland Security bill: new buyout authority.

Management

GAO backs printing office in dispute with White House

Federal agencies cannot use appropriated funds to purchase printing services without first going through the Government Printing Office in most cases, a General Accounting Office official said in a letter this week.

Management

Proposed rule requires competition for printing

The Government Printing Office would have to compete with companies for federal agencies’ printing jobs, under a proposed rule published this week.

Pay & Benefits

Pension funding fun

A peek inside the thrilling realm of federal retirement funds.

Pay & Benefits

Base pay raise for 2004 pegged at 2.7 percent

Federal employees are likely to get a 2.7 percent across-the-board pay raise in 2004, based on figures released by the Labor Department Thursday.

Magazine

Unshackled

Pay & Benefits

2003 leave and holidays

Start planning your annual leave for 2003.

Defense

States find success with civil service reform, report says

Personnel directors in three states that have eliminated civil service laws can more quickly hire, fire, promote and re-assign workers than they could when the laws were in place, a new report says.