With the destruction of the Postal Service and Attacks on federal pensions, 2016 elections may be decided by federal workers

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Partisan divide in federal employee legislation

'...When it comes to federal employees, one party wants to give, the other plans to take away. ...'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com

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Federal Retirement Options

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The Best Dates, and Phased Retirement, for Federal Employees in 2015

'...the answer just may lie in the new Phased Retirement program, which formally went into effect in August. The first applications were eligible to be submitted as of November....'

Reference: www.thinkadvisor.com
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U.S. Military personnel doesn't do well under Continuing Resolution / Omnibus budget plan

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With Shutdown Avoided, Who Are Winners (And Losers) In 2015 Budget?

'...Pay raises for most federal employees, including the military, were preserved under the bill although capped at 1% (the military was hoping for 1.8%). Military civilian personnel didn’t fare quite so well: that portion of the budget was cut. ...'

Reference: www.forbes.com
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Death of the American Foundry: Foundry that originally cast aluminum letters and seals for the U.S. Postal Service to close

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Foundry that cast Great Seal for ND Capitol calls it quits

'...Metal Arts started 75 years ago as a small foundry and finishing factory in Milwaukee, casting aluminum letters and seals for the U.S. Postal Service, according to its website. The firm soon expanded to bronze plaques and lettering for businesses, government and organizations, a business model that continued after L&H Manufacturing purchased it. - See more at: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/21408/#sthash.RfedCtlk.dpuf...'

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OPM Disability Retirement Process

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The Confluence of Factors During the OPM Disability Retirement Process

"...There is so much information “out there” – from the “5-step process” in filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, to the “10 dos and don’ts” to obtain an OPM Disability Retirement; to the requirement of filing for SSDI; to multiple other acronyms which require a Ph.D. in a second, foreign language: FERS or CSRS; OPM; SSDI; CSRS-Offset; SF 3107; SF 2801; SF 3112A; the Supervisor’s ..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
Tags: OPM Disability Retirement Process

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Inspector general criticizes the Secret Service for "a serious lapse in judgment"

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Inspector General letter reveals new concerns about Secret Service

'...In a letter obtained by the Cox Washington Bureau, the Homeland Security inspector general criticizes the Secret Service for "a serious lapse in judgment."...'

Reference: www.wokv.com
Tags: Secret Service

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DHS requires West Africa travelers to arrive at five airports

'...Customs and Border Protection within the department began enhanced screening – checking the traveler's temperature and asking about possible exposure to Ebola – at New York's John F. Kennedy airport on Oct. 11. Enhanced screening for travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea was expanded Oct. 16 to Washington's Dulles, Chicago's O'Hare, New Jersey's Newark and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airports....'

Reference: www.usatoday.com
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CDC says health care worker with Ebola should not have been allowed to fly

'...Health care workers who had been exposed to Duncan were undergoing self-monitoring. They were allowed to travel but not on a commercial plane with other people, Frieden said....'

Reference: wqad.com
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Presidential Management Fellows program

'...Beginning this Wednesday, October 1, through October 15, students or recent graduates of advanced degree programs can apply to be Presidential management fellows. The program is open to people who will have received an advanced degree between October 1, 2012 and August 31, 2015. ...'

Reference: www.opm.gov
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flexible spending account (FSA) monies (limited amount) can be rolled over

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OPM: FSA participants can rollover $500 in unused funds

'...Federal workers who participate in the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) will now be able to rollover up to $500 from one year to the next in unspent funds from their limited expense and health care flexible spending accounts (FSA) thanks to a recent decision by the Office of Personnel Managment. ...'

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
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2015 Federal Employee Pay Raise of 1% Would Prevent 'Automatic' Larger Increase

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Obama proposes 1 percent pay raise for federal workers in 2015

'...signaling that he wants to give the workers a salary bump while preventing the rates from automatically rising by a greater amount under the law....'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
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Many VA facilities tested positive for Legionella

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Largest Federal Employee Union Pushes OSHA to Investigate Legionella Reports at Illinois Veterans Hospital

'...August 2013 report by the VA's Office of Inspector General found that many VA facilities tested positive for Legionella and that current methods of hyper-chlorination and super heating were not sustainable in treating the water. A number of concerns are outlined in the letter to OSHA including possible long-term health concerns for patients and staff who are exposed to hyper-chlorinated water...'

Reference: www.prnewswire.com
Tags: Legionella

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Some postal employees to get 20% pay increases and $1,000 bonuses

'...The agreement calls for pay increases of up to 20 percent for rural carriers; newly hired carriers also will receive hiring bonuses that total $1,000 after one year. Current carriers also get the same sum within a year. ...'

Reference: employment-assistance.blogspot.com
Tags: Mail Carrier Hiring Bonuses, Mail Carrier Pay Increases, Mail Carrier Recruitment Bonuses,

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TSA approved recognized locks

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TSA Travel Tips Tuesday: TSA Recognized Locks

'...In order to ensure the safe transportation of travelers, TSA screens all checked and carry-on baggage before it is permitted to be brought onboard commercial aircraft. Technology generally enables us to electronically screen bags without opening them, but there are times when we need to physically inspect a piece of luggage. TSA has worked with several companies to develop locks that can be opened by security officers using universal "master" keys so that the locks may not have to be cut. These locks are available at most airports and many travel stores nationwide. The packaging on the locks indicates whether they can be opened by TSA. ...'

Reference: tsa.gov
Tags: TSA approved locks

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Items found by TSA: Yes, this is what people attempt to carry on aircraft

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41 Firearms Discovered This Week (33 Loaded)

'...The purpose of this blog is to communicate with the public about all things TSA related. Check in regularly for "Travel Tips Tuesday" and our end of week "TSA Week in Review" posts on Fridays....'

Reference: tsa.gov
Tags: TSA

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OPM layoffs affect training and testing staff

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OPM plans to trim 356 employees in March

'...Workers’ eligibility for federal benefits depends on whether they are considered temporary- or permanent-intermittent employees. The layoffs, which largely affect training and testing staff...'

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
Tags: OPM cuts

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Federal Employee Merit Pay: Is it a motivator or not

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Merit-based Pay and Employee Motivation in Federal Agencies

'...This paper analyzes findings from the federal government that federal employees subject to merit-based pay are consistently less happy with their job, with their organization, and with their pay than those in agencies with traditional compensation systems. ...'

Reference: www.brookings.edu
Tags: Federal Employee Merit Pay

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Federal Reserve's new $100 bills debut Tuesday

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A few things you might want to know about the new $100 before Tuesday

'...The Federal Reserve's latest budget includes 2.5 billion new $100 bills this year, Triangle Business Journal reports. A handful of them will have increased value for collectors, due to unique serial numbers....'

Reference: www.bizjournals.com
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800,000 employees in the government's workforce to feel goverment shutdown

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Government Shuts Down as Congress Misses Deadline

'...Many federal workers reporting to their agencies Tuesday morning will undertake a half-day of shutdown preparations before more than 800,000 employees in the government's workforce of about 2.9 million are sent home. ...'

Reference: wsj.com
Tags: Federal Government Shutdown, Federal Shutdown, Federal Shutdown 2013, Goverment Shutdown, Government Shutdown 2013,

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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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