EPA Delays Plans to Close, Consolidate Labs Following GAO Audit of USDA Relocations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week a closure delay of its Region 6 Laboratory in Houston, Texas, and relocate 30 personnel and 11 contractors by 2023.
Bipartisan Coalition of Lawmakers Renew 5.1% Raise Campaign for Federal Employees
A coalition of 62 lawmakers have urged Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) to include in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations a 5.1 percent salary raise for all federal employees.
AFGE Confirms 600 COVID-19 Fatalities as Commerce, HUD Release Reentry Plans
Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), revealed at the union's annual conference that more than 600 members have died of COVID-19.
FLRA Can Regulate State National Guard Under Specific Conditions in Sixth Circuit Ruling
The Ohio National Guard and its Adjutant General (Guard) petitioned the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, requesting that it review a decision and order of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).
Groups Urge White House to Extend Vaccine Mandate Deadline for Federal Employees
Several federal workforce organizations have recently advocated for extending the federal employee vaccine mandate deadline align with the federal contractor deadline. The federal contractor deadline was recently extended in January 2022.
In other vaccine mandated related news, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced at least one agency has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the management regarding vaccine mandate implementation.
Union Levies Legal Challenge to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Task Force Updates Guidance
On October 30, 2021, a federal employee union filed a lawsuit challenging President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal employees in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The case aims to invalidate the Executive Order and subsequent guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
VP and OPM Dir. Announce Effort to Inform Feds of Union Eligibility, Collective Bargaining Status
Vice President Kamala Harris and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja announced the Biden Administration’s reinvigorated effort to have agencies regularly inform new federal employees of union eligibility.
AFGE Pushes for Federal Workforce Provisions in 2021 NDAA
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union for the federal workforce, is pushing for the inclusion of several federal workforce provisions within the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Their primary focuses include securing proper pay and keeping federal jobs.