Oversight

GAO: Federal Agencies Lag in Retaining Veteran Employees

Between fiscal 2014 and 2018, nearly 7% of veterans left federal service, compared with only 5% of non-veterans, the watchdog agency found.

Pay & Benefits

Survey: Vast Majority of TSP Participants Are Satisfied With the Retirement Savings Program

Although satisfaction levels are slightly down compared with 2017, officials with the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program said that is likely due to market volatility at the time of the survey.

Management

Survey: Most Feds Who Have Been Working From Home During the Pandemic Are Afraid to Return to Their Offices

Nearly 80% of teleworking respondents to a new survey from AFGE said they don’t feel safe going back to their traditional worksite.

Management

Labor Authority: Unions Can't Do 'Grassroots' Lobbying on Official Time

Although federal employee groups decried the decision, the Federal Labor Relations Authority stopped short of a conservative anti-labor organization's request to outlaw direct lobbying of lawmakers while on official time.

Management

Union: Social Security Is Withholding Information and Refusing to Bargain as Some Employees Return to Offices

Agency argues most employees are still teleworking to the maximum extent possible and there has been no major change in work arrangements that would require negotiation.

Management

AFGE Pushes for Workforce Protections in Defense Policy Bill Negotiations

The nation’s largest federal employee union urged lawmakers to include collective bargaining protections and fix a soon to be implemented paid parental leave law.

Oversight

House Lawmakers Demand Info on Viewpoint Survey Delay

Last month, the Office of Personnel Management announced that it would delay administration of the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey just four days before it was slated to commence.

Management

Administrative Law Judges Union Accuses Social Security of Illegal Implementation of Contract

SSA on Monday moved ahead with a partial collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Administrative Law Judges, despite the fact that nine articles remain in dispute, and the agency unilaterally rewrote an article without the union’s input.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Revive Bipartisan Push for Maximum Telework at Agencies

The Pandemic Federal Telework Act would require agencies to allow all telework-eligible employees to work remotely for the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Outlines Process for Restoring Leave After COVID

Regulations allowing some to carry over more than 30 days of annual leave into next year will also apply to future emergencies, Office of Personnel Management said.

Management

Vast Majority of VA Employees Have Either Witnessed Or Experienced Racism at Work, Survey Finds

Nearly 76% of respondents to union survey have experienced "racially charged actions," and three-quarters of those who haven't experienced incidents themselves say they have witnessed them.

Oversight

Inspector General Blasts Efforts to Transfer OPM Facility Authority to GSA

The Office of Personnel Management watchdog said the Trump administration took action without regard to the impact, potentially incurring millions of dollars in recurring annual costs.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Issues Regulations for Feds’ Paid Parental Leave

Beginning Oct. 1, federal workers will be entitled to up to 12 weeks of paid leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.

Oversight

Lawmakers Look to Further Strengthen Whistleblower Protections

Bills in the House and Senate would ban federal officials from blocking employees from sharing information with Congress, prohibit retaliatory investigations and protect more workers.

Management

OPM Is Reorganizing Employees to Get Around Ban on GSA Merger, Union Claims

Over the weekend, the Office of Personnel Management moved nearly two dozen employees into the agency’s HR Line of Business, which is being renamed with GSA support.

Management

Immigration Judges Union Survives, For Now

Federal Labor Relations Authority regional director rejects arguments by the Justice Department that immigration judges are managers and therefore their union should be decertified.