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Unions once again urge supercommittee to save feds' pay, benefits

Lawmakers charged with reducing the federal deficit should look to contractors' compensation rather than reduce government workers' pay and benefits, a coalition of federal unions and management associations wrote in a letter to supercommittee leaders.

Tags: Susan Collins , Joe Lieberman , pay and benefits , Federal-Postal Coalition , supercommittee , House Oversight and Government Reform Committee , Congress , budget , Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , deficit , hiring , workforce

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FEMA's attempts to recoup improper payments set off new problems

FEMA has recovered just $3 million of $643 million in potentially improper disaster relief aid since Hurricane Katrina. But its attempts to recoup the money are setting off one senator and threatening to erupt into a public relations snafu.

Tags: Hurricane Katrina , inspector general , FEMA , Richard Serino , Matt Jadacki , Maurice McTigue , George Mason University , disaster response , improper payments , fraud , financial management , DHS , Mark Pryor , Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

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OPM working 'around the clock' to fix USAJobs.gov

The Office of Personnel Management is scrambling to buy more server capacity after record traffic overwhelmed the new version of the USAJobs.gov website. OPM Director John Berry said the site now is serving 94 percent of users. But he acknowledged that's "cold comfort for those whose applications aren't getting through." Agency IT staff is working around the clock to fix the problem, he added.

Tags: technology , workforce , hiring , OPM , John Berry , Federal Labor Management Relations , Federal Labor Management Relations Council ,

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Managers need to unleash workers for successful telework

While agencies and employees are reaping the benefits of telework, many frontline supervisors remain reluctant. They have to learn to manage the work, not the workers, experts say.

Tags: retention , workforce , Telework Enhancement Act , management , technology , OPM , Justin Johnson , Microsoft , Martha Clarkson , Danette Campbell , USPTO , Jim Neighbors , DoD ,

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Industry group warns of bleakest IT budget in 17 years

The government's IT budget hasn't been squeezed this hard since Forrest Gump was on the big screen in 1994. In the next five years, agencies will focus their spending on mission-critical technology. They're also finding ways to save money though nontraditional contracts and IT consolidation, a survey by the industry group TechAmerica Foundation found.

Tags: technology , IT , TechAmerica Foundation , Dan Heinemeier , robert haas , acqusition , budget , consolidation , cybersecurity , cloud computing , mobile ,

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Users frustrated with the new, overwhelmed USAJobs 3.0

Federal jobseekers are complaining that the new version of the USAJobs.gov website is slow and clunky. The Office of Personnel Management had promised that it would be more streamlined and easier to use than the previous version. It is asking agencies that use the site to recruit to extend their application deadlines while it works out the kinks.

Tags: hiring , workforce , USAJobs.gov , technology , Gov 2.0 , OPM , John Berry , CHCO Council

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GAO: Postal Service did not overpay CSRS account

The Postal Service has not paid too much for retirement benefits for employees under the Civil Service Retirement System. A report by the Government Accountability Office throws a wrench in the Postal Service's plan to return to profitability by accessing more than $50 billion now held for retirement benefits.

Tags: workforce , USPS , GAO , pay and benefits , Dennis Ross

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USAJobs 3.0 launches amid hopes of greater integration

The Office of Personnel Management launched today the latest version of the government's jobs site, USAJobs.gov, one day ahead of schedule. The agency says the new site will connect to both agency and contractor websites.

Tags: hiring , workforce , USAJobs.gov , technology , OPM , John Berry , FedScoop

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NTEU warns against the loss of IRS jobs, revenue

The union that represents IRS workers is ramping up a public campaign in hopes of convincing voters that the loss of 4,000 tax collectors and agents would be bad for government services that they depend on. Congressional appropriators have proposed cutting the division's budget by $450 million-to-$600 million.

Tags: IRS , budget , Congress , Treasury , NTEU , Colleen Kelley , Dick Durbin , Doug Shulman , dodd-frank act , SEC , Senate Appropriations Committee , House Appropriations Committee ,

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Debating the good and bad of labor-management forums

Councils of union representative and agency leaders are making employees happier and the government run more smoothly, federal personnel leaders told a Senate committee. But mid-level managers say they should be invited to the table because they're usually the ones to implement policies.

Tags: workforce , management , Ron Johnson , national council on federal labor management relat , OPM , John Berry , FMA , Pat Niehaus , gregory juneman , NFFE , National Council on Federal Labor Management Relat

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