OFR published a notice to give guidance on Federal Shutdown 2013

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What happens if the Government shuts down?

'...The OFR published a notice to give guidance to agency customers and the public. See, 78 FR 59974...'

Reference: www.federalregister.gov
Tags: Federal Shutdown, Federal Shutdown 2013, Government Shutdown 2013, guidance on Federal Shutdown 2013, 78 FR

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Federal Employee Buyout Coming?

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Retirement Myths: Is Congress Considering Offering a Buyout to Federal Employees?

'...We all want to believe that something good will happen to us; and often it does, just not when it comes to our federal employment. You have to look back a few years to find the last “good deed” done for federal employees by Congress....'

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
Tags: Federal Employee Buyout 2013

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How many federal employees would be affected by Postal Service plan to strip workers of federal health plan>

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USPS Plan to Pull Out of Fed Health Benefits Could Cost Postal Workers

'...While most non-postal FEHB enrollees would likely not be affected by USPS’ withdrawal from the program, about 29,000 federal employees would have to select a new health plan, according to GAO, as some plans that primarily offer services to USPS workers would drop out of FEHB. ...'

Reference: www.govexec.com
Tags: FEHB

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Reports of NSA snooping on Europe go well beyond previous revelations of electronic spying

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Berlin accuses Washington of cold war tactics over snooping

'...Transatlantic relations plunged at the weekend as Berlin, Brussels and Paris all demanded that Washington account promptly and fully for new disclosures on the scale of the US National Security Agency's spying on its European allies....'

Reference: www.guardian.co.uk
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FERS Retirement Eligibility Information

'...An immediate retirement benefit is one that starts within 30 days from the date you stop working. If you meet one of the following sets of age and service requirements, you are entitled to an immediate retirement benefit:...'

Reference: www.opm.gov
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Federal employee health and fitness programs

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Federal workers get health and fitness programs

'...retired Army colonel and former Anne Arundel County councilman working as a civilian on the garrison staff at Fort Meade, is one of thousands of federal workers who participate in health and fitness programs ...'

Reference: www.stripes.com
Tags: Federal employee health and fitness programs

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DC area feds can take 'unscheduled leave' or telework day due to potential severe weather

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Federal workers can take unscheduled leave or telework day, OPM says

'...Federal agencies will be open on Thursday as the region braces for potential severe weather, but employees may take unscheduled leave or work from home, the Office of Personnel Management said early Thursday....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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2014: Federal Employees may see tiny pay raise in Jan.

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White House again calls for federal employee raise

'...Administration urges the Congress to provide the proposed 1.0 percent pay increase for Federal civilian employees. As the President stated in his [fiscal year] 2014 Budget...'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice

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Female prison workers filing class action against DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons

'..."The overall outcome is to seek change. They need to change policy. They need to hold these inmates accountable," Rojas said. Many of the women said they've worked at other prisons and jails in Florida, and this kind of behavior was never tolerated....'

Reference: www.wftv.com
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Benghazi federal workers remembered

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In Benghazi and beyond, federal workers who died on the job are remembered

'...Let’s take a break from the raging discord that has dominated Washington lately by remembering federal employees who died abroad in service to their country. With so much attention focused on what the government has done wrong, we’ll end the week with words about government workers who died trying to do right. ...'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Bill would undermine the 'Stock Act'

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U.S. House Clears Bill Obscuring Federal Workers’ Assets

'...Federal employee groups had lobbied for the change, saying that easy access to personal financial information could lead to harassment or make the workers more vulnerable to identity theft. Critics faulted the measure for undermining a law, called the Stock Act, aimed at preventing profits from trading securities based on inside information. ...'

Reference: www.bloomberg.com
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Food safety and inspection workers avoid 11 days of furlough

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Meat industry rescues federal workers

'...Over 9,000 federal food inspectors won’t face furloughs after top companies from the meat and poultry industries spoke out in support of them....'

Reference: wtvr.com
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Let the furloughs begin!

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Alternatives to sequester could hit federal employees in other ways

'...Political leaders met Friday but failed, at least for now, to find a path away from budget cuts that threaten more than 1 million employees with up to 22 unpaid days off, for most starting as early as April....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Federal employees began receiving furlough notices on Friday

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Federal Furlough Notices Go Out As Sequestration Takes Effect

'...More than 1 million federal employees face the possibility of unpaid time off due to the across-the-board spending cuts. While some notices are going out on Friday, the furloughs will not actually take effect until April...'

Reference: www.huffingtonpost.com
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Likely that sequester will begin

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Ben Bernanke: Find sequester alternative

'...Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned lawmakers Tuesday that allowing automatic budget cuts to go into effect this week could place a “significant” burden on the economy...'

Reference: www.politico.com
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TSA officers get training on Homeland Security strategies to counter terrorism

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TSA officers go to college to learn to counterterrorism

'...The TSA officers either have completed or are enrolled in a college-level program that focuses on Homeland Security strategies to counter terrorism. ...'

Reference: sun-sentinel.com
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2014 Federal Employee Pay Raise Update

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Obama to propose 1 percent pay hike for federal employees

'...At the same time, the House plans to vote soon on legislation that would extend the current freeze on basic pay rates through the end of calendar 2013....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Federal Hiring Update: Students and Recent Graduates

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Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates

'...These programs, collectively the Pathways Programs, are streamlined developmental programs tailored to promote employment opportunities for students and recent graduates in the Federal workforce....'

Reference: www.opm.gov
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Workers comp fraud

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Lakeland Woman Pleads Gulty to Theft of Federal Employee Compensation Funds

'...claimed she was not employed, reported no income and lied about her physical health to maintain eligibility for her benefits....'

Reference: www.theledger.com
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Social Security employee arrested for looking at child porn on work computer

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Federal employee arrested at Seattle office, accused of looking at child porn on work computer

'...Social Security employee was arrested Wednesday at his Seattle office and accused of looking at child pornography on his computer at work....'

Reference: www.thenewstribune.com
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Focusing on rewards for the federal workforce is important

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MSPB: Room for Improvement in Rewarding Federal Employees

'...The MSPB notes in its report that focusing on rewards for the federal workforce is important because compared to private sector employees, federal employees tend to see weak relationships between their performance and the rewards they receive, a trend reflected in OPM’s 2010 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey....'

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
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FBI investigated "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace

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FBI releases files on late "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace

'...detailing their scrutiny of a 1970 trip Wallace took to Cuba. There is also an investigation of a threatening letter sent to Wallace in 1977 by a World War II veteran titled "Communist Control of the Press." ...'

Reference: www.cbsnews.com
Tags: Mike Wallace, FBI,

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GOP politicians no fan of federal workers and the working class

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Federal workers targeted by cost-cutting politicians

'...Aside from federal workers losing $103 billion in compensation reductions since 2011, as well as a 27-month pay freeze, it should be noted that the Federal Salary Council, using Bureau of Labor Statistics, determined that “federal employees are paid, on the average, about 35 percent less than comparable private-sector workers. This is an increase over the 26 percent difference in 2011.”...'

Reference: www.app.com
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House votes to freeze federal worker pay

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House votes to freeze congressional, federal worker pay

'...But first lawmakers voted on a plan to freeze the salaries of lawmakers and federal employees. Despite Democratic objections, the bill passed 287 to 129, with 55 Democrats voting with Republicans to approve the measure....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Pay raise for federal workers in 2013?

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Obama Orders Pay Raise For Congress, Federal Workers, Joe Biden

'...As of March 27, 2013, federal employees will see a half-percent to one percent pay increase, marking the end of a pay freeze that has been in place since late 2010. Congress hasn't seen a pay raise since 2009....'

Reference: www.huffingtonpost.com
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Ex-TSA Agent spills the beans

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Ex-TSA Agent Dishes on Image Screening Rooms

'...Ever wonder what happens in the airport back room where your body image is being screened by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents?...'

Reference: abcnews.go.com
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Items found by TSA this week

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TSA Week in Review: Speargun, Grenades, and Guns Among Things Discovered at TSA Checkpoints This Week

'...We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best not to take them on a plane. ...'

Reference: tsa.gov
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Change to 'chained CPI"' will harm Federal Workers

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AFGE: Chained CPI Deal Harmful for Federal Workers, Middle Class

'..."This move marks a shameful abandonment of his campaign promises to protect the middle class and the needy from tax increases or harmful benefit cuts," Cox said. "The currently used measures of inflation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPI-U and the CPI-W, already understate inflation for the elderly. This change will cause a large hit to federal pensions, Social Security benefits, Veterans' benefits, and federal benefits to poor children and the disabled. It also will raise taxes substantially on the poor and middle class, while leaving the rich untouched." PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1xhPP) ...'

Reference: www.prnewswire.com
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Federal prisoners escape

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2 inmates escape from federal prison in Chicago

'...Authorities say two men being held on bank robbery charges have escaped from a downtown Chicago federal prison....'

Reference: www.seattlepi.com
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DHS Worst Large Place to Work of Federal Agencies

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Homeland Security Named Worst Big Place to Work of Federal Agencies

'...Workers at the Department of Homeland Security are the least satisfied at work of employees at all the large federal agencies, according to a new government survey. DHS...'

Reference: www.usnews.com
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CIA operative is a star... secretly

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CIA's most famous operative is a secret star

'...Perhaps inevitably, questions are mounting about the CIA employee, her personality and her contacts with the filmmakers. And she can't properly defend herself because she's not allowed to talk to the press....'

Reference: www.cnn.com
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Would sequestration offer buyouts?

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Federal worker Q&A guide to the fiscal cliff: Ten answers on jobs, cuts and more

'...It is common for agencies to offer one or both when forced to downsize, with one motivation being to avoid RIFs or at least lessen the need for them. Buyouts are payments to encourage employees to retire or quit; the typical pre-tax amount is $25,000 but in some cases it has been less....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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OPM says Jan. 2013 to see wave of federal employee retirements

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Federal retirement claims fall last month but OPM predicts swell in January

'...Overall, federal employees filed 6,584 retirement claims last month; OPM predicted receiving 7,000. It's the fourth time this year the number of claims OPM received fell below expectations. ...'

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
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TSA moving forward with next gen imaging

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TSA Shuffles Deployment of Whole Body Imagers at US Airports

'...TSA is moving forward in an effort to develop a "next generation" of advanced imaging technology (AIT)....'

Reference: www.hstoday.us
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Did the APWU sign one of the worst negotiated contracts in the history of labor?

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How the Postal Service foundered: Parceling out the responsibility

'...Fred Rolando, the union’s president, has offered negotiating positions that would abandon FEHB, thereby undermining an insurance exchange that actually works well. The APWU signed one of the worst negotiated contracts in the history of labor, giving back years of gains and benefits while endorsing the false narrative being peddled by Donahoe. ...'

Reference: www.savethepostoffice.com
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Shrinking federal buyouts: An offer easily refused

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$hrinking buyouts: An offer you can't refuse?

'... Federal buyouts come in many flavors. If you work for most federal agencies there is the take-it- or-leave it, one-size-fits-all $25,000 buyout. You agree to ...'

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
Tags: Buyouts

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Federal Agency switching to iPhone

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U.S. Federal Agency Switching 17,600 Employees From BlackBerry to iPhone: Report

'...Reuters is reporting that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agency is ending its contract with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM), as it intends to purchase $2.1 million worth of iPhones for its 17,600 employees. According to ICE...'

Reference: wallstreetpit.com
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Federal workforce to take hit in recovering economy

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A Recovering Economy Won't Include Federal Workers

'...in Detroit, the federal government is expected to cut 4,000 jobs by 2022, with state and local adding fewer than 100 jobs. In Oklahoma City, federal cuts, at just over 3,000 jobs, will also negate a majority of the nearly 4,800 jobs that will be added at the state and local levels....'

Reference: www.usnews.com
Tags: Federal Employment, Federal Jobs, Federal Job Outlook,

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Some understand the need for a strong federal workforce

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As congressional ally retires, federal employee advocates cite progress, challenges

'...A leading advocate in Congress for federal workers, Sen. Daniel Akaka says he's pleased by progress on some of his priorities: Legislation to allow employees to work from home, reforms in hiring and the security clearance process, improvements in matching veterans and people with disabilities to jobs....'

Reference: baltimoresun.com
Tags: Sen. Daniel Akaka

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Federal employee pay raises? The bigger worry may be health care

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Forget the Pay Freeze: Start Worrying About Health Care Costs

'... Buried in the news over the extended federal pay freeze, the impending fiscal cliff and the umpteenth continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown is this fact: Many military retirees will be paying a little more for their health care as of Oct. 1. Day 1 of fiscal 2013 means that some TRICARE Prime beneficiaries now will have to pay $...'

Reference: www.govexec.com
Tags: Federal pay raise 2013, Health care costs,

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