In his 2016 budget proposal to be released next Monday, President Barack Obama will propose ending sequestration cuts that have damaged the middle class and hampered scientific discoveries, job creation, progress in education, among other things. Sequestration began in 2013 and was scheduled to end in 2021.
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House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation that would make life a lot easier for federal employees who also are disabled veterans. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act would give 104 hours of sick leave up front to new federal employees who are veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater.
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Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania last week introduced the Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act of 2015 that would make permanent the Bureau of Prisons’ pepper spray pilot program which allows correctional officers and others to carry pepper spray for personal protection.
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TSA officers are doing an outstanding job protecting the flying public. In 2014 alone, TSOs discovered a record 2,212 firearms in carry-on bags at airports across the country; a whopping 22% increase from 2013. Of the guns confiscated by officers, more than 80% were loaded.
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Did you know that the SAG-AFTRA awards is the only televised award show of, by, and for union members? SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is a labor union representing more than 160,000 film, radio, television performers and journalists worldwide.
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At Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, white-collar employees are in the high-paying New York GS locality pay zone, but their blue-collar counterparts’ pay rates are based on wages in the Scranton area.
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Following a recent meeting with AFGE, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management Stephanie Barna directed the Army to review its sourcing decisions and comply with the Defense Department’s sourcing regulations.
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The Defense Business Board (DBB), which provides Pentagon officials with private sector perspectives, consists of business leaders and consultants, some of whom have been contractors to the Department of Defense.
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The Department of Defense, the largest federal agency, has three workforces: military, civilian, and contractor. The civilian workforce is the cheapest, often two to three times cheaper than contractors doing the same work. If anyone wants to reduce the number of workers, citing fiscal constraints, you’d think he/she would target the most expensive workforce, right? Not Rep. Ken Calvert of California.
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Reps. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina this week introduced a bill that would kill 200,000 federal jobs by replacing only one worker for every three that leave.
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The Supreme Court ruled against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this week in the whistleblower case of Department of Homeland Security v. MacLean.
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) this week announced it plans to expand hours at its field offices nationwide. A field office that’s usually open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will now remain open until 4 p.m on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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As President Barack Obama touted current and new efforts to uplift the middle class in his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, federal employees will be central to these efforts as they are the very people who will carry out these initiatives.
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Thanks to AFGE’s outstanding representation, an arbitrator recently reversed a charge of absence without leave (AWOL) against a Newark Airport TSA officer who was unable to get to work because of a severe snowstorm and mass transit issues.
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Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means recognizing and uplifting the humanity of our neighbor. Dr. King dedicated his life to the service of others. Through relentless activism, community outreach and an unwavering determination in the fight for equality, Dr. King is memorialized in our nation’s history.
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