washingtonpost.com - Joe Davidson's Federal Diary (washingtonpost.com)
Sun Apr 24 04:48:17 EDT 2011
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Saving the goverment a million here, a million there and more - If you want ideas on how to save money, ask the people who spend it. That's what President Obama did when he began the SAVE Awards two years ago.

OPM's John Berry calls for new performance-review system for federal workers - Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry calls for a new performance-management system, without big changes to the General Schedule.

OPM's John Berry calls for new performance-review system for federal workers - OPM Director John Berry calls for a new performance-management system, without big changes to the General Schedule.

Court faults USPS in firing of decorated Afghan war veteran - Federal court overturns a ruling that favored USPS in a dispute with a decorated sergeant major, finding that he had not abandoned the post office for military service.


Wis. slashing of collective-bargaining rights jars federal unions - The decision to severely slash public employee collective-bargaining rights in Wisconsin is sending a jolt through federal unions in Washington.

Battle royal over federal worker pay - All that Wednesday's House hearing on federal pay needed to be complete was an announcer with a booming voice asking the packed room, "Are you ready to rumble?"

Hearing highlights need for Foreign Service training, lack of congressional interest - At a time when some North African and Middle East states are in chaos and America is posting large numbers of civilians in war zones, the United States is sending Foreign Service officers abroad poorly equipped to deal with the critical situations they face.

Historic union vote for airport officers begins - At a time when basic public employee union activities in state governments are under attack, Uncle Sam is staging what labor leaders say is the largest federal union organizing effort in history.


Higher federal withholding is taking a bite out of retirees' annuity checks - The Federal Diary gets lots of mail, some of it fit to print. From time to time, we give readers a chance to speak out on issues affecting federal workers.

Presidential recognition finally comes for 28 who died in Texas Tower #4 collapse in 1961 - Little things can mean a lot, even when those little things are a long time coming.

Republicans aiming to stamp out new TSA collective-bargaining rights - Even before the nation's transportation security officers get collective bargaining rights, Republicans on Capitol Hill are working to block them.

Reagan's complicated legacy for federal workforce - This week marks the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth. When it comes to federal employee issues, he's probably most remembered as a big union-busting president.


Deficit-cutters must also weigh cost of contractors - When the Obama administration released figures showing Uncle Sam spent less on outside contractors for the first time in 13 years, the data pointed to a little-publicized difference in the way Democrats and Republicans approach deficit reduction.

Sen. Daniel Akaka talks about federal workforce issues - Sen. Daniel K. Akaka is starting his fourth year as chairman of the Senate subcommittee on the federal workforce. It promises not to be like the last.

Employee group shows impact of proposed cuts on government services - Federal employee organizations have been speaking out against plans to cut the federal workforce that have gained traction since the Republicans won the House in November. The pushback has come in mostly predictable ways that probably has done little to show the public that cutting the workforce cou

U.S. Park Police Chief Chambers is reinstated - Teresa Chambers is back in her office. Ultimately, she overcame an unworthy effort to boot her from her job as chief of the U.S. Park Police. She was reinstated Monday, bringing to an end a long, high-profile battle in which a whistleblower scored an uncommon victory over Uncle Sam. Victories, ho...


Federal Diary: 1980s hostages reflect on captivity, U.S.-Iran relations - Three decades don't help the ugly look any better. It was 30 years ago this month that a few hundred Iranians took American diplomats hostage in an act of political kidnapping that still poisons relations between the two countries. "It was wrong on every conceivable count," said L. Bruce Laingen,...

Employee input key to reorganization effort - "Presidents have taken to reorganizations the way overweight people take to fad diets - and with about the same results." - James Q. Wilson in "Bureaucracy: What government agencies do and why they do it."

Federal Diary: Freshman lawmaker, put in charge of workforce panel, says cuts are a must - Let's begin with a cautionary tale on governmental efficiency and how not to impress the new chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the federal workplace.

Federal workforce budget cuts would mean customer service cuts for taxpayers - If you thought the two-year pay freeze President Obama and Congress imposed on federal employees would mollify Republican calls for harsher worker sacrifices, you would be wrong.


Small agency conducts big election - The final stretch of the nation's largest union organizing contest is about to begin.

A call to federal service, in President John F. Kennedy's memory - "Government service must be attractive enough to lure our most talented people. It must be challenging enough to call forth our greatest efforts. It must be interesting enough to retain their services. It must be satisfying enough to inspire single-minded loyalty and dedication. It must be import...

How to keep talent? Money alone won't guarantee job satisfaction. - Uncle Sam doesn't have a big problem retaining his workers - at the moment.

Federal retirees shouldn't be getting workers' comp, senator says - To ensure that people too old to work aren't cheating the system, Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) wants the Government Accountability Office to study the program that provides income to injured federal workers.


Coalition's letter opposing cuts in benefits carries risk - Fighting for its members in the face of proposed budget cutbacks, a coalition of federal employee organizations has asked President Obama to reject proposals to cut health and retirement benefits, reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent and freeze pay for three years.

A victory for former Park Police chief might not be a victory for whistleblowers - A Federal Diary column last April carried the headline: "Will day of justice finally arrive for Park Police whistleblower?"

Social Security judges facing increasing threats of violence - Losing Social Security disability benefits can be devastating. Potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits can disappear if an administrative law judge rules against those fighting to get money they think they're due.

Federal employees killed in Giffords shooting reflect alarming trend of violence - I'm writing this column as if there were a heavy, black drape around its borders. It would commemorate the lives of John M. Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, two federal employees killed, along with four others, by the crazed gunman who critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords just outside Tucson on Sat...


Public opinion, congressional upheaval won't help the federal worker - If all the promises in the Republican Pledge to America are honored like the party's quickly broken commitment to cut government spending by $100 billion, federal employees may have little reason for concern.

Pay freeze doesn't leave all federal workers out in the cold - While weather forecasters predict the nation will have its coldest January in many years, the freeze has already set in for federal employees, most of whom have had their pay put on ice for two years beginning Jan. 1.

With Voinovich's Senate departure, federal workers lose a champion - When Congress convenes Wednesday, George V. Voinovich won't be there to remind representatives and senators, as he often did, "how important it is that we have . . . the right people with the right skills at the right place at the right time."

Top 2010 stories about the federal civilian workforce - Happy new year! Let's begin 2011 with a look at the top 2010 stories about the federal civilian workforce. Last year was a mixed bag for federal employees, and the biggest news wasn't good for them. Just as the holiday season was getting underway, President Obama announced a two-year pay freeze f...


Readers share their thoughts - The Federal Diary gets lots of mail, some of it fit to print. We like to give readers a chance to speak out by occasionally printing some of those letters.

Readers react to recent Federal Diary columns - The Federal Diary gets lots of mail, some of it fit to print. We like to give readers a chance to speak out by occasionally printing some of those letters.

What if negotiated raises and federal pay freeze collide? - How will the salaries of federal employees whose wages are negotiated through collective bargaining be affected by the two-year pay freeze proposed by President Obama?

Pay freeze could heat things up at the exits - Actions have consequences. One unintended consequence of the two-year pay freeze President Obama asked Congress to impose on federal workers is the impact it may have on higher income employees and those eligible to retire.


Whistleblower protection bill hits sudden stop in Congress - After 12 years of working to improve protections for federal employees who blow the whistle on government waste, fraud and abuse, Congress was on the verge of passing legislation to make that happen. Then Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) put up a roadblock that could derail the bill.

Obama plans federal workplace diversity effort - If creating a government workforce that reflects the people it serves, particularly at top civil service levels, is a high priority for Uncle Sam, you can't tell it by his record.

Breakdown by sex, race - <...

Federal workers may not get payroll tax holiday - For hundreds of thousands of federal workers, Scrooge seems to be running the merrymakers out of town.


For federal workers stretched thin, pay freeze would be beyond cold - As President Obama and members of Congress move to freeze the pay of federal employees, they should keep people such as Sharon Faison in mind.

Black narcotics agent's unresolved 1977 bias suit illustrates frustrations of discrimination claims - It's been 40 years since Henry W. Segar was hired by the federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, but he remembers those days clearly, if not always fondly.

Obama still getting push back on pay freeze for federal workers - Despite the opposition to President Obama's plan to freeze federal pay, many federal workers still would have increased income with the freeze because of longevity-based raises and bonuses.

Child-care subsidy is spotty for government employees - Uncle Sam strives to be a model employer, as least for now. That goal could take a hit with plans for pay freezes and workforce reductions, but he remains a cut above many private employers, particularly when it comes to benefits. One benefit he provides, at least on paper and to some workers, is ch


High priority for USPS: Solutions to stop billions in losses - Patrick R. Donahoe began his first congressional hearing as postmaster general-designate on a sunny note.

Federal workforce would share deficit-reduction pain in various ways - The federal workforce would take a hit, along with many other parts of government, under a plan released Wednesday by a presidential commission that's trying to get the nation's finances in order.

Deficit panel sharpening its scissors on federal pay - If federal employees feel like President Obama's plan to freeze their pay has Uncle Sam's foot on their necks, they should watch for other shoes to drop.

Obama's plan to freeze federal salaries gets a cold reception - Winter is not officially here yet, but a freeze is falling over the federal workplace.


From budgets to benefits, our mailbag overflows - The Federal Diary gets lots of mail, some of it fit to print. We give readers a chance to speak out by occasionally printing a few of their letters, which may be edited for clarity and length.

In open season for insurance plans, look beyond premium - Open season, the period when federal employees can choose health insurance plans, runs through Dec. 8.

Telework legislation is good news for budgets and workers - At last. After tons of paper, vats of ink and who knows how many meetings and conferences on a seemingly simple subject, Congress has given final approval to legislation promoting telework for federal employees. Some employees already work away from their offices, though less than 10 percent. The...

Full body scans create new friction for airport screeners - John Pistole likes to talk about how employees in the Transportation Security Administration he heads are on the front lines of airline safety.


Officials to give themselves a round of applause for reforms in the hiring process - When it comes to the federal hiring process, horror stories once proliferated like dandelions in a spring lawn.

FLRA decision on letting airport screeners vote on union will bring historic election - Let the battle begin. Friday's decision by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to allow airport security screeners to vote on union representation clears the way for a history-making election among federal government employees. In a significant victory for organized labor, the FLRA ruled that 5...

Debt-reduction proposals add fuel to criticism of government workforce - If federal employees didn't read the handwriting on the wall when Republicans won the House last week, they shouldn't miss the red lights that began flashing with the release of sweeping proposals to rectify the nation's finances.

Just what the heck is our government trying to tell us? - You can't work in this town 10 minutes without drowning in gobbledygook.


How to truly honor Veterans Day? Give them more jobs. - Tuesday was a good day for veterans at the Office of Personnel Management.

Federal hiring ruling goes veterans' way -

Attrition is high among new workers at many government agencies - As soon as Uncle Sam finds good employees, he loses a bunch of them.

Attrition is high among new workers at many government agencies - As soon as Uncle Sam finds good employees, he loses a bunch of them.


GOP-controlled House will give some bills new life - What a difference an election day makes. Republican legislation affecting federal employees that went nowhere in an 111th Congress controlled by Democrats will now see the sun in the 112th, with the GOP in control of the House. Bills that would freeze or cut federal pay, fire federal workers who ...

Federal Diary: Despite campaign bashing, workers prove their patriotism - Across the country, a number of federal workers, always a patriotic bunch, took Tuesday off to get involved with government in a way they can't do on the job.

Obama's federal hiring reform efforts 'moving in right direction, OPM director says - It was one of those uniquely Washington moments. A beauty queen led a toast Monday to improvements in the federal hiring process. Let's hail the new and bid farewell to the old, said Jen Corey, Miss D.C. 2009. In a statement issued before the toast, John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel...

Lawmakers receive low marks on key issues - Although the Democratic control of Capitol Hill has been good for federal workers, the second session of the 111th Congress was a bummer compared with the first.


Freshman from Utah is making a name for himself -

Union hails agreement with Forest Service on benefits for domestic partners - The National Federation of Federal Employees is hailing an agreement with the Forest Service that will provide certain benefits for the domestic partners of employees as "an historic achievement."

Federal employees engaged, enraged over possible Republican takeover of House - The past two years have been good ones for federal employees, and their unions are trying to make sure the good times don't stop now.

Picking up slack in the Foreign Service - Federal Diary readers have a lot to say. Occasionally, we print their letters, including these:


At OPM, an overhaul of retirement processing - In the latest attempt to fix a dysfunctional federal retiree program, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry announced Wednesday yet another overhaul of a system that leaves retirees waiting months for their checks.

For a Foreign Service officer with MS, what is 'around the world'? - Should medical conditions prevent State Department applicants from joining the Foreign Service if they can't serve in every single post in the world?

Dissatisfaction in federal employee pay sign of disconnect - Like the late bug-eyed comic Rodney Dangerfield, federal employees sometimes get no respect.

GAO: Contractors get federal business despite violations - When Uncle Sam dishes out billions of dollars in contracts to companies doing the government's work, you'd think he'd want to deal with firms that don't break his laws.


Electronic compliance report isn't helping veterans get jobs with private contractors - Everybody loves veterans. Holidays are named for them. Parades are devoted to them. Politicians of all stripes make a public display of embracing them. But when it gets right down to how Uncle Sam serves former service members, the picture can get murky. Testimony submitted for a congressional he...

Health insurance costs are up, but it could be worse - The good news is that the price federal employees and retirees will pay for their health insurance next year won't go up as much as premiums did this year.

Senate approves teleworking bill - Teleworking for federal employees took a major step forward with legislation approved by the Senate on Wednesday night.

Senior pay level workforce	Percentage of SPL positions in FY 2009
Men	71.08
Women	28.92
Hispanic or Latino	3.62
White	84
White men	61.15
	FeedSee