Workforce

Unions Call on Biden to Name New Labor Board Appointees

More than six months into his administration, President Biden has yet to nominate a second Democrat to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, while the Federal Service Impasses Panel sits vacant.

Workforce

House Panel Advances Bill to Undo Trump Order on Administrative Law Judges

A bill working its way through Congress would restore the judges to the competitive civil service three years after the Trump administration gave agencies greater leeway in hiring decisions.

Workforce

AFGE, VA Reach Settlement to 'Reset' Labor Relations

The Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to reverse actions taken to crack down on unions during the Trump administration, including compensating union officials for leave they took in the absence of official time and reimbursing the union for past office space and equipment rentals.

Management

OPM Reclaims Human Capital Council Duties Following Failed GSA Merger

The Trump administration had moved the Chief Human Capital Officers Council’s staff from OPM to GSA shortly before Congress blocked the controversial plan to merge the agencies.

Pay & Benefits

House Panel Advances Bill Providing Feds Paid Family Leave

Republicans question the methodology of a last-minute preliminary study by the Congressional Budget Office, despite the fact that CBO does not do full reports until bills are sent to the House floor.

Oversight

GAO: Coast Guard Can Do More to Monitor Telework Use

Early in the pandemic, the service suffered from inadequate bandwidth and a laptop shortage, although those issues were alleviated by summer 2020.

Pay & Benefits

GPO To Offer Full-Time Telework After COVID

Around one-third of the agency’s 1,500 employees will be able to work entirely remotely, and officials said some will be able to move out of the Washington, D.C., area.

Workforce

House Spending Bill Pushes Social Security to Reverse Trump-era Workforce Changes

Language accompanying the bill orders a report by the end of 2021 on telework, and urges the agency to reverse actions that undercut the independence of administrative law judges.

Management

FLRA Narrows Labor’s Ability to Litigate Bargaining Disputes

In a controversial 2-1 decision, Republican appointees ruled that unions cannot seek relief for alleged unfair labor practices that arise during contract negotiations if they have already sought redress for separate violations during the same bargaining process.

Oversight

OPM Has Improved on Several Key Management Issues, Watchdog Finds

GAO lauded OPM’s efforts to reform performance management processes and provide better data to agencies, although 14 recommendations remain unresolved.

Management

Biden Ousts Trump Holdovers from Social Security Administration

Removal of the agency’s leadership follows a Supreme Court decision finding that laws barring a president from firing political appointees without cause are unconstitutional.

Pay & Benefits

More than 900 Social Security Employees Received Partial Paychecks, And Some Got Too Much

A union representing employees impacted by a payroll processing error has filed a grievance on their behalf demanding backpay and interest for any money that wasn’t paid to workers on time.

Pay & Benefits

SSA Promises ‘Partial Payments’ After Employees Report Zero-Dollar Pay Stubs

Officials at the Social Security Administration said roughly 900 employees were impacted by an unidentified mistake in payroll processing.

Pay & Benefits

White House Moves to Bolster Wildland Firefighter Pay

President Biden previously expressed outrage that some federal firefighters make less than $15 per hour.

Pay & Benefits

Former Temporary Workers Could Make Catch-Up Pension Contributions Under New Bill

Currently, Federal Employees Retirement System employees who began their careers as temporary workers must work longer than anticipated to receive full retirement benefits.