Management

Appeals Court Strikes Down Labor Authority Decision That Limited Scope of Federal Union Bargaining

A three-judge panel on Tuesday found that the Federal Labor Relations Authority relied on a misreading of Supreme Court precedent.

Management

VA Union Calls Management Proposals Illegal as Impasses Panel Legal Challenge Advances

AFGE officials accuse VA of submitting "illegal" proposals to a panel the union is separately trying to block from issuing decisions.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Board Chairman to Resign Following White House Intervention in Retirement Program

Michael Kennedy has served on the board for a decade, overseeing several major initiatives including implementing an employer match for military service members through the blended retirement system and making it easier for participants to access their money.

Pay & Benefits

Social Security Unions File Formal Complaints Over Lack of Emergency Sick Leave

More than two months after the deadline for all employers to offer workers pandemic-related emergency paid sick leave, three unions say the agency is violating the law.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Portfolios Continue Gains, But Fail to Make Up Earlier Losses

Although all of the funds in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program posted modest increases in May, it was not enough to make up for the economic crash at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Management

Social Security Expands Flexible Hours for Some Workers

After months of urging, officials at the agency will allow some employees the option of working outside normal business hours to better juggle family demands during the pandemic.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmaker: White House ‘Overstepped its Authority’ in Demanding TSP Abandon I Fund Changes

Chairman of House Oversight and Reform subcommittee says instructing the Thrift Savings Plan not to shift international investments to a broader index effectively “politicized” the independent agency.

Management

Social Security Continues to Drag Its Feet on Paid Sick Leave, Telework Advancements

Labor leaders say agency officials have proposed setting preconditions on employees’ use of recently enacted partial paid sick leave, potentially in violation of the law.

Management

Labor Authority Reverses Previous Decision, Stays Implementation of SSA Contract With Administrative Law Judges Union

The Social Security Administration had already stated that it would not impose the new collective bargaining agreement while a federal lawsuit from the judges’ union was pending.

Pay & Benefits

Federal Advisory Group Finds Feds Are Paid 26.71% Less than Private Sector Counterparts

In their annual report, members of the Federal Salary Council recommend updates to datasets used in determining a region’s eligibility to become a locality pay area.

Management

VA Union Seeks Injunction Against Impasses Panel

Among other things, the American Federation of Government Employees argues that the panel, currently composed of anti-labor activists, violates statutory requirements that it be impartial.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Announces Upcoming COVID-19 Loans, Withdrawals

New loan and withdrawal options enacted through the CARES Act will become available in June and July, respectively, while officials have noted other options for participants to access their money are already in place.

Management

Temporary Land Management Employees May Soon Have Pathway to Permanent Employment

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday published proposed regulations that would allow temporary employees at six agencies to apply for permanent posts through merit promotion procedures.

Management

Arbitrator Finds Social Security Violated Federal Labor Law in Negotiations with Administrative Law Judges

An independent arbitrator rules that SSA management engaged in bad faith bargaining by repeatedly withholding information from a union representing the judges as the parties were preparing to negotiate a new contract.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Board Delays International Fund Change Amid White House Pressure

Although board members stated the pause was because of the turmoil caused by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, they pleaded with their newly nominated replacements not to allow politics to enter the decision-making process.

Pay & Benefits

New House COVID-19 Bill Includes Hazard Pay for Feds, Strengthens Protections for Telework and Sick Leave

Pelosi on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would provide up to $10,000 in premium pay for federal workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak and would prevent agencies from exempting employees from paid sick leave benefits.

Pay & Benefits

White House Orders TSP Board to Halt International Fund Index Change

After months of lobbying, President Trump has intervened in the independent agency’s decision to shift foreign investments to a more expansive index of international firms.