Tag: Obama Administration

Employees Will Find Out Their Shutdown Furlough Fate By the End of Friday

Employees Will Find Out Their Shutdown Furlough Fate By the End of Friday

The administration has not committed yet to supporting retroactive pay for furloughed employees, said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
The administration has not committed yet to supporting retroactive pay for furloughed employees, said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees. AFGE

Federal employees should know by the end of Friday whether they will be furloughed if the government shuts down on Oct. 1

The Obama administration has directed agencies to have supervisors informally notify employees whether they should report to work on Tuesday if the government closes because of a lapse in funding. Non-excepted employees will receive official furlough notices on Oct. 1, if necessary.

The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management also told agencies to post their shutdown plans online by Friday afternoon. If the government closes, roughly 800,000 federal civilian employees could be furloughed. Continue reading “Employees Will Find Out Their Shutdown Furlough Fate By the End of Friday”

What Exactly is Fair in Federal Compensation?

What Exactly is Fair in Federal Compensation?

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When it comes to pay, fairness is an elusive concept. What is too much, too little, just right? The answers depend on who’s talking, and when they’re talking.

This is why the debate about whether federal employees are over- or underpaid rages on. It’s complicated, relative, and, of course, political.

Federal compensation once again dominated government news headlines this week. Furloughs for 650,000 Defense Department civilians across the country began on Monday, guaranteeing those employees smaller paychecks this summer. Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Danny Werfel said he wants to get rid of performance bonuses in 2013 to reduce the number of furlough days employees are forced to take. And the Senior Executives Association is trying to reignite a discussion of pay compression, a byproduct of the government’s imperfect pay systems. Continue reading “What Exactly is Fair in Federal Compensation?”

White House proposal capping contractor payments falls short, union says

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White House proposal capping contractor payments falls short, union says

Half-hearted proposal doesn’t come close to matching sacrifices incurred by federal employees

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Obama administration’s proposal to lower the cap on government contractor compensation doesn’t go nearly far enough to level the playing field between lavishly paid contractors and front-line federal workers, the head of the largest federal employee union said today.

“The administration’s proposal is completely inadequate.  It still requires taxpayers to reimburse contractors for exorbitant sums, while federal employees are suffering pay freezes and cuts due to furloughs,” AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. Continue reading “White House proposal capping contractor payments falls short, union says”

Obama administration urges Congress to cap contractor pay at president’s salary

Obama administration urges Congress to cap contractor pay at president’s salary

By Josh Hicks, Published: May 30, 2013 at 2:36 pm

(Carolyn Kaster/AP)

(Carolyn Kaster/AP)

The Obama administration on Thursday called for Congress to slow the growth of executive pay for government contractors, arguing that current compensation levels have grown excessive.

The White House budget office unveiled a legislative proposal that would prohibit the government from reimbursing private firms for salaries that exceed the president’s federal earnings, which are $400,000 per year, except when specialized skills are needed.

The plan would only affect payments that are made retroactively through so-called cost-reimbursement contracts. Under such agreements, which are often used when final costs are hard to predict, the government promises to pay whatever costs a company incurs as it completes a project — like a blank check with certain limits. Continue reading “Obama administration urges Congress to cap contractor pay at president’s salary”