COLA, Largest Since 2012 Shortchanges FERS Retirees

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COLA, Largest Since 2012 for CSRS Retirees and Social Security Recipients, Shortchanges FERS Retirees

'...Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of FERS retirees will be wondering why they are only receiving a 2 percent COLA when the relevant measure of consumer prices increased by 2.8 percent. That's due to the bargain struck in Congress in the 1980s when FERS was created, which limits COLAs to 2 percent when consumer prices increase between 2 and 3 percent. But that was the wrong policy then, as it is now. It prevents FERS annuities from keeping up with inflation, which is the whole point of a COLA. It is past time for Congress to ensure FERS retirees receive a full COLA each year...'

Reference: insurancenewsnet.com
Tags: CSRS vs FERS, FERS,

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2019 CSRS and Social Security COLA Increase

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2019 CSRS and Social Security COLA Increase Largest In 7 Years

'...The 2019 COLA for those covered in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will be...'

Reference: www.myfederalretirement.com
Tags: FERS COLA 2019, CSRS COLA 2019,

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2019 Federal Employee Pay raise: What are the odds?

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Pay raise: What are the odds?

'...There is also the question, which is soon to be answered, of what happens to federal workers and retirees if the House, Senate or both change hands? Would they get a better deal if Democrats controlled Congress, as most unions say? Or, as some critics say, would Democrats take feds for granted? The three-year pay freeze from 2011-2013 came during the Obama administration, which also introduced “sequestration” and triggered furloughs. That sparked 20 percent pay losses for tens of thousands of workers...'

Reference: federalnewsradio.com
Tags:SRS, FERS annuity supplement, 2019 Federal Pay Raise,

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Alabama: Peter Joffrion and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks tangle over federal worker pay raises

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Peter Joffrion and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks tangle over federal worker pay raises

'...Joffrion says Brooks should be doing more for federal workers. “Now Mo flaps his gums about being for national defense, but he won’t fight for a pay increase for the Redstone workers who have earned it,” Joffrion said. "And I will....'

Reference: whnt.com
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Other pensions can put Social Security benefits at risk

'...One class of people affected are those who receive a pension from a job in which they haven't paid Social Security FICA taxes, such as public-sector workers like police officers and firefighters. Many federal, state and local employees are enrolled in retirement systems that are not part of Social Security. Federal employees hired before 1984 who stayed under Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) are affected. Federal workers who retired under the newer Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) are not subject to WEP because they paid Social Security FICA taxes. Some foreign workers are also affected...'

Reference: www.chicagotribune.com
Tags: Windfall Elimination,

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GOP gives millions to the rich, shortchanges federal employees

'...In a letter to Congress, Trump — who never tires of telling us the economy is the best ever — argues that the freeze is justified by "serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare." Moreover, he would have us believe that we "must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases." Perhaps if those efforts didn't give him, his children and his cronies enormous tax breaks, there would be enough to pay these people a raise that does not even keep up with inflation...'

Reference: www.reflector.com
Tags: 2019 Federal Pay Raise,

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White House Expected to Keep Postal Task Force Report Secret Until After Midterms

'...The findings will not be made public until after the November elections, however, according to three sources made aware of the administration’s thinking. Trump directed the task force to make the recommendations actionable, either through legislation or regulation, the sources said, but is not planning to start implementation until voters elect a new Congress...'

Reference: www.govexec.com
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Trump Says He’ll Eliminate Pay Raises for Civilian Federal Employees Next Year

'...the move “yet another slap in the face to American workers.” Under current law, federal civilian employees are set to receive a 2.1% across-the-board pay increase beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, but Mr. Trump said he is eliminating those raises...'

Reference: www.wsj.com
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Buyouts offered to some NLRB employees (Podcast)

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Some NLRB employees offered buyouts and early retirement

'...In today’s Federal Newscast, the National Labor Relations Board says years of flat funding led to an imbalanced staff at NLRB headquarters and its regional offices...'

Reference: federalnewsradio.com
Tags: buyouts (VSIP), Voluntary Early Retirement (VER), Buyout 2018,

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OPM Reviewing Pay, Leave, Performance Policies

'...further recommended combining sick leave and annual leave into one category to be called paid time off...'

Reference: www.fedweek.com
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Trump administration outlines roadmap to modernizing federal workforce

'...boost training opportunities for their managers to make sure they’re up to speed on dealing with employee misconduct. Not surprisingly, the administration will also devote its attention to simplifying its hiring process. By the third quarter of this year, OPM is supposed to demonstrate the initial capability for an “automated hiring adviser” for managers, the update said...'

Reference: federalnewsradio.com
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Beloved politicians will make tiny middle class tax breaks permanent if companies and the wealthy get more breaks

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GOP pushes for 'phase two' of tax cuts

'...Besides making the individual tax cuts permanent, conservatives also said they would hope a second tax bill would lower capital gains taxes, which people pay when they sell investments. Republicans have long wanted to lower capital gains taxes, but they were largely left untouched in the new tax law...'

Reference: www.msn.com
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Average Federal Employee Salary in States: How Do You Compare?

'...Individual federal employee salary data has been posted for fiscal year 2017 and is now available in the searchable database at FedsDataCenter.com. One reason some politicians are seeking to move agency functions out of the Washington, DC area is to share the wealth. Moving jobs and functions out of the Washington...'

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
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What’s the Impact of the [PROPOSED] FERS Benefit Cuts?

'...The elimination of the FERS Supplement would have a severe impact on an early FERS retiree. The loss of the Supplement may cause the retiree to withdraw substantially more from TSP during the years before Social Security eligibility. Without proper savings and planning, this may place a retiree at risk of running out of savings during their lifetime...'

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
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Brother of NASA Astronaut Blames Racism For Her Removal From ISS Mission

'...My sister Dr. Jeannette Epps has been fighting against oppressive racism and misogynist in NASA and now they are holding her back and allowing a Caucasian Astronaut to take her place!” Henry Epps wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday evening...'

Reference: www.newsweek.com
Tags: NASA,

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IRS Sets Withholding Tables as GOP Pledges Paycheck Increase

'...expressed concern that the new tables would “systematically underwithhold income taxes during the 2018 tax year.” That sort of move would boost workers’ pay before the November 2018 congressional elections but could leave them “owing federal income tax when they file in 2019,” according to a Jan. 8 letter to the Treasury Department from Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts...'

Reference: www.bloomberg.com
Tags: Withholding Tables, income taxes, 2018 Taxes,

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