Pay & Benefits

OPM Director Reaffirms that Essential Feds Will Have Annual Leave Restored Due to COVID-19

Federal employees deemed essential to combatting the pandemic will again be able to carry over unused annual leave that exceeds the typical cap in January.

Management

Biden’s Management Agenda Puts Feds Front and Center

A focus on creating “good jobs” and fostering partnerships with organized labor marks a departure from previous agendas’ more technocratic approaches.

Pay & Benefits

Biden Signs Wildland Firefighter Pay Reform Into Law as Part of Infrastructure Package

Some federal wildland firefighters could see up to a $20,000 increase in base pay, and their positions will shift to a new “wildland firefighter” occupational series.

Pay & Benefits

OPM to Offer Same-Sex Spouses Another Chance at Survivor Benefits

A new notice this week announced that the federal government’s HR agency is waiving the requirement that a widow or widower be married to a federal worker for nine months to be eligible for survivor benefits in some cases.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Introduce Another Bill to Repeal Controversial Tax Rule Affecting Federal Retirees

Bipartisan legislation would replace a provision that reduces Social Security benefits for federal, state and local agency employees who spent time in the private sector with a new formula that accounts for their time outside of government, and provide rebates for current retirees.

Workforce

OPM Encourages Agencies to Expand Telework, Remote Work Permanently in New Guidance

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday issued its first major update to its telework guide in a decade.

Workforce

AFGE Calls on Administration to Delay Vaccine Mandate for Feds

The union’s leader said the recent delay in enforcement of the vaccine mandate for contractors sets up a “double standard” in federal workplaces.

Workforce

Federal Judge Declines to Block Vaccine Mandate for Feds

Judge says the challenge is both premature and unlikely to supersede the public interest in ending the pandemic.

Workforce

Social Security Employees Slated to Return to Offices in January

Restrictions on telework and confusing vaccine rules for visitors to SSA offices rankle union officials, who have demanded to bargain over employees’ reentry to their traditional worksites.

Oversight

GSA Failed to Remove Asbestos, Arsenic, Explosives From Missouri Facility for Decades, Report Finds

GSA officials knew about hazardous materials at a former munitions plant turned federal office building but declined to notify employees and other agency tenants or restrict access to impacted areas, substantiating a whistleblower’s allegations.

Workforce

OPM: Agencies Must Provide Time Off for Feds to Get Their Kids Vaccinated Against COVID-19

The federal government’s HR agency reminded officials that they must provide employees administrative leave to accompany children getting the COVID-19 vaccine, following approval of the vaccine for 5- through 11-year-olds.

Workforce

OPM Rule Makes It Easier to Hire Recent College Grads

Under a new hiring authority, federal job applicants who graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree within the last two years can be hired outside of the competitive process at up to a GS-11 salary.

Management

Senate Panel Advances Labor Authority Nominees

President Biden’s picks to lead the agency that administers federal labor law were sent to the floor by a party-line vote Wednesday.

Workforce

GOP Bill Would Send Vaccinated Feds Back to Offices

Republican calls for agencies to resume in-person services clash with Biden administration plans to make telework more readily available to federal workers.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Funds Bounce Back After Rough September

Only one offering in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended October in the red.

Workforce

Bill to Expand Union Rights for State and Local Workers Puts FLRA in Charge of Enforcement

It is unclear whether the Federal Labor Relations Authority would require additional resources to carry out its proposed new duties, as the agency faces an extensive existing case backlog and staffing crunch.

Workforce

House Panel Advances Bill Protecting FAA Operations During Shutdowns

Bipartisan legislation would ensure the Federal Aviation Administration operates at full capacity during a lapse in appropriations by drawing money from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for up to 30 days.

Workforce

Biden Admin. Suspends Immigration Judge Quotas, Prompting Similar Requests Elsewhere

Following news that the Justice Department will no longer enforce strict caseload quotas on immigration judges, administrative law judges at SSA called on the agency to suspend the requirement to schedule at least 50 disability cases per month.