Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast – May 4th

1.6 percent military pay raise moves forward USPS RIF notices in the mail

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

  • Federal employees may be catching a break in the theater of public opinion. Feds were among the first responders to the tornado-damaged South and were involved in tracking down Osama bin Laden. Senior administration officials say this is helping to lift the fog that had settled over feds during debates over a federal pay freeze.
  • The Armed Forces are in line to recieve a pay raise in the 2012 budget. The House Armed Services committee will include a 1.6 percent pay raise for military servicemembers in the 2012 Defense Authorization bill. GovExec reports the House recently approved a 1.4 percent raise for the military in the 2011 fiscal budget.
  • The Postal Service is moving past voluntary buyouts and preparing managers for RIFs. Reduction-in-force notices have already gone out to administrative employees likely to be affected. This month specific employees will find out whether their job will be eliminated. Some may keep their jobs, but at lower ranks. In March, USPS offered $25,000 buyout incentives, but only 2,000 non-union employees signed up. USPS’s goal is to eliminate 7,500 jobs. (Editor’s Note: a correction has been made to this item changing “firings” to “RIFs”. We apologize for any confusion.)
  • Congressional leaders want to be sure messages sent from iPhones, iPads and other personal mobile devices are being archived under the Presidential Records Act. The House Oversight committee wants to know if personal devices are being used for official work, and whether those messages are being recorded. Federal Computer Week reports the White House currently automatically archives emails and work done on government-issued mobile devices.
  • VSE Corp is acquiring Wheeler Brothers. Wheeler is an automotive parts supplier based in Pennsylvania. They mainly do business with the Department of Defense and the Postal Service. VSE is a government engineering and construction contractor. The Washington Business Journal reports the deal is worth $180 million, but that the acquisition price could jump by another $40 million if certain financial targets are met in the next four years. The acquisition still requires regulatory approval, but is expected to close late this month or early next.

More news links

Army to demonstrate new ‘green’ ammo in Maryland

RIM using Microsoft’s Bing on new BlackBerrys

Obama to meet with Prince Charles

Survey: Educators lack training to teach online safety (USAToday)

USPS OIG: Mystery Shopper Program was compromised (PostalNewsBlog)

Large asteroid to pass close by Earth (UPI)

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