Tag: Federal Times

Back Pay Is On the Way

Back Pay Is On the Way

Abel Tumik/Shutterstock.com

The government shutdown is over and payroll is back up and running. By the end of this week, most of the federal workforce will have received retroactive pay for the 16-day shutdown.

In fact, thousands of federal employees already have received back pay to make whole the partial paycheck they got during the shutdown, which lasted from Oct. 1 through Oct. 16. The Interior Business Center, run by the Interior Department, handles payroll for 42 government agencies and 240,000 federal employees. IBC deposited back pay on Tuesday to employees directly affected by the shutdown — a week before their regularly scheduled paycheck on Oct. 29, according to a Federal Times report. Perhaps this makes up for IBC’s data entry error last month that delayed the paychecks of 40,000 employees. IBC is the payroll provider for agencies including Interior, NASA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Continue reading “Back Pay Is On the Way”

Agencies notifying employees of shutdown effects

Agencies notifying employees of shutdown effects

Sep. 26, 2013 – 06:00AM   |  By SEAN REILLY and NICOLE BLAKE JOHNSON   |
With a partial government shutdown five days away, at least some agencies are telling employees Thursday how they would be affected, according to officials and other sources.

With a partial government shutdown five days away, at least some agencies are telling employees Thursday how they would be affected, according to officials and other sources. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)

With a partial government shutdown five days away, at least some agencies are telling employees Thursday how they would be affected, according to officials and other sources.

At the Defense Department, the government’s largest civilian employer, supervisors are informally letting workers know whether they will be furloughed during a shutdown, spokesman Navy Cmdr. Bill Urban said. DoD Comptroller Robert Hale is set to discuss a shutdown’s potential impact at a news briefing Friday afternoon, he said.

At the Transportation Department, managers were also notifying employees Thursday of their status if operations are curtailed for lack of funding, according to an email from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx obtained by Federal Times. Continue reading “Agencies notifying employees of shutdown effects”

Union Challenges HUD’s Planned Sequestration Furloughs, Closures

Union Challenges HUD’s Planned Sequestration Furloughs, Closures

Francesco Corticchia/Shutterstock.com

A federal employee union is challenging the Housing and Urban Development Department’s plan to shut down for seven days and furlough all of its employees.

The union expected to begin negotiations with HUD officials on Tuesday, according to Eddie Eitches, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 222.

AFGE is seeking furlough day flexibility, reduced workload expectations, transit benefit assurance, and an arrangement to allow senior executives to donate voluntary furlough savings to ordinary feds, Eitches told Government Executive. Continue reading “Union Challenges HUD’s Planned Sequestration Furloughs, Closures”

How the sequester will affect you

 How the sequester will affect you

Mar. 1, 2013 – 04:33PM   |  By STEPHEN LOSEY   |

Employees are desperate for information on how furloughs will affect them. Here is what Federal Times has learned about how they will work, based on interviews with government officials and the Office of Personnel Management’s furlough guidance.

Q. How long will I be furloughed?

A. That depends on your agency, and on how much flexibility it has they have to absorb the sequestration cuts. The Defense Department, for example, expects to furlough nearly its entire civilian workforce employees for 22 days. Customs and Border Protection, on the other hand, will would furlough employees only for up to 14 days if sequestration goes into effect. And the IRS told the National Treasury Employees Union that it may have to furlough employees for five to seven days.

Q. When will my furlough begin?

A. Probably in mid- to late April. Defense plans to notify employees in mid-March that they will likely be furloughed, which then starts a 30-day notification clock before they can be officially furloughed. CBP will also plans to notify its furloughed employees in mid-March. But the IRS told NTEU that its employees will likely be furloughed this summer. Continue reading “How the sequester will affect you”

Spending cuts to hit DFAS next week

Spending cuts to hit DFAS next week

Jan. 23, 2013 – 04:19PM   |
By STEPHEN LOSEY   |   Comments
 DFAS Director Terri McKay said more stringent actions, such as furloughing employees, may be necessary if sequestration takes place or the current continuing resolution expires without another agreement in place to further fund the Defense Department.
DFAS Director Terri McKay said more stringent actions, such as furloughing employees, may be necessary if sequestration takes place or the current continuing resolution expires without another agreement in place to further fund the Defense Department. (Defense Department)

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service on Jan. 27 will freeze hiring, stop nominating employees for performance awards, and slash travel, training and overtime to help it deal with budget cuts.

In a Jan. 17 email obtained by Federal Times, DFAS Director Terri McKay said more stringent actions — such as furloughing employees — may be necessary if sequestration takes place or the current continuing resolution expires without another agreement in place to further fund the Defense Department. Continue reading “Spending cuts to hit DFAS next week”

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