After months of short-term continuing resolutions and two government shutdowns that disrupted the livelihoods of millions of federal workers and the programs they serve, federal employees can now breathe a sigh of relief: President Trump signed Congress's $1.3 trillion spending bill, funding the government through September 2018.
AFGE won several victories with the omnibus spending package, including:
The spending bill also pushed back against the administration's proposals to gut domestic programs like the Environmental Protection Agency.
The bill isn't without problems, though. It fails to make investments in the VA to adequately serve our veterans and fill the 49,000 vacancies plaguing the system. It provides $12.9 billion to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is a $480 million increase over last year. In addition, Congress expressed its “concern” that SSA may be reducing resources for field offices, and directed SSA not to close field offices for now
With funding secured through the end of September, government agencies can get to work on making long-neglected investments in our people, our programs, and our nation’s future – something that’s impossible when funding is in question.
Congress has reached an agreement to fund the government until December 7. But they still need to pass a separate bill to raise federal employees' pay by 1.9%.
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The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is a tiny agency tasked with resolving labor-management issues involving more than 2 million federal employees. These issues range from unfair labor practices (ULP) to arbitration appeals to union elections. Federal employee unions go to the FLRA to challenge agencies’ unfair practices or failures to follow their own policies, among other things. But office closures across the country are leaving workers without a place to turn.
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Responding to natural disasters is a core function of government that most people forget until their lives are at risk. As Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Carolina coast, more than 4,000 federal employees were mobilized to help communities prepare for the storm.
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