Workforce

The federal government’s primary internship program is getting its first update in a decade

The Office of Personnel Management will propose regulations Wednesday governing the federal government’s Pathways Programs to make it more appealing for potential applicants and easier for agencies to use as a recruitment tool.

Pay & Benefits

Labor Dept. will offer training on new rules to boost some federal contractors' wages

Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced a major overhaul of regulations governing the compensation of construction workers on federally funded projects.

Workforce

Retiring NTEU president reflects on three decades in organized labor

Tony Reardon on Thursday handed the reins of the National Treasury Employees Union to newly elected national president Doreen Greenwald.

Pay & Benefits

Bill to alleviate federal pay compression introduced by House Dems

The Pay Compression Relief Act would effectively allow General Schedule employees to receive annual increases to both basic and locality pay, even if they have already hit the federal pay cap.

Workforce

VA, AFGE celebrate ‘best union contract’ in federal government

After six years of often acrimonious negotiations, the Veterans Affairs Department and the nation’s largest federal employee union on Tuesday signed a new collective bargaining agreement.

Workforce

D.C.-area feds told to leave offices by 3 p.m., ahead of storms

All federal employees in the Washington region who commuted for in-person work on Monday must leave two hours early, OPM said.

Workforce

White House calls on agencies to 'aggressively' reduce telework this fall

Chief of Staff Jeff Zients instructed agencies to focus on executing plans to increase in-person work in September and October.

Oversight

Labor Dept. office rolls back portions of Trump-era policy on handling discrimination claims against contractors

Regulations implemented Friday said that a 2020 rule change aimed at making investigations into allegations of discrimination more efficient in practice did the opposite.

Workforce

Cannabis users could become feds under bipartisan House bill

The legislation also would allow federal job applicants who were previously denied positions or security clearances over marijuana usage dating back to 2008 to have those decisions reviewed under the newly proposed policy.

Pay & Benefits

Most TSP funds continued their upward trend in July

Only one of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended last month in the red.

Workforce

TSA employees are finally earning similar wages to most other federal workers

Officials on Thursday celebrated the arrival of an up-to-30% pay raise for Transportation Security Administration employees this week, but warned that House spending plans could derail recent progress.

Management

Biden taps former Maryland governor for Social Security commissioner

Martin O’Malley served two terms as governor before a failed presidential campaign in 2016.

Pay & Benefits

Dental and vision benefits are now open to many part-time, temporary and seasonal federal employees

A rule finalized Tuesday makes nearly 200,000 additional federal employees, including postal workers, eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program.

Workforce

IRS announces the end of most surprise taxpayer visits

The change, effective immediately, comes due to concern for the safety of IRS employees and to make it easier for taxpayers to identify potential scammers.

Workforce

Agencies would have more flexibility in the hiring process, under new OPM rules

Regulations implementing a provision of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act would give hiring managers more information—and options—as they evaluate job applicants.

Pay & Benefits

A Senate panel has advanced legislation to avert wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’

Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management has released a draft set of qualifications for its upcoming new job series for wildland fire management.

Workforce

New union contract offers hope for better labor relations at the Social Security Administration

The American Federation of Government Employees and Social Security management will meet on a bimonthly basis to collaborate on issues like improving training, designing a child care subsidy and more.

Management

Small businesses’ share of federal contracting dollars reaches ‘all time high,’ SBA says

Federal agencies paid small businesses $162.9 billion for contracting work—the most ever recorded—in fiscal 2022, although the proportion of federal contract dollars going to small businesses declined to 26.5%.

Workforce

Proposed funding cuts could prevent IRS, Justice and other agencies from meeting their missions, employee groups say

Controversial plans to deeply slash spending at OPM, IRS and the Justice Department have drawn the ire of the federal employees who work at or rely on those agencies. They say the cuts would harm mission delivery.

Workforce

Sen. Kaine revives effort to ban Schedule F through the defense policy bill

This marks the second straight year that the Virginia Democrat has sought to attach a measure requiring congressional approval for new federal job classifications to the National Defense Authorization Act.