The case of whether three executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in May 2018 overstep presidential authority is going to the D.C. Circuit Court, as Department of Justice officials filed Sept. 25 to appeal a prior ruling overturning much of the orders’ substance.
The executive orders cut back on the amount of time federal employees could use for union duties, while calling for the renegotiation of agency contracts with unions and making it easier for those agencies to fire poor performing employees.
Some federal agencies soon began evicting unions from their office spaces, as the orders also instructed federal officials that unions could no longer use government property for free.
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U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.
Union officials said at the time that the orders prevented union representatives from fulfilling their legally mandated responsibilities to represent and advise their peers.
A group of federal employee unions quickly sued the administration for overreach through the executive orders.
A district court judge ruled Aug. 25 that significant provisions in the executive orders “cannot be sustained” as they directly run around of Congressional intent in the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute.
Four days later, the Office of Personnel Management officially rescinded guidance on the enforcement of the orders, but stated that the agency “will work with the U.S. Department of Justice to evaluate next steps in this litigation.”
Jessie Bur covered the federal workforce and the changes most likely to impact government employees for Federal Times.
The federal budget proposal unveiled by the White House in March included an average pay increase of 4.6% for civilian federal workers, matching a planned military pay raise. Historically, with pay lagging in the federal sector, other factors including steady opportunities, competitive benefits and hybrid work to retain talent.
People who have served in the military or worked for the federal government may have a slightly easier time navigating the language used in federal contracting. But it varies even across departments, so everyone needs to build in time for learning.
The Defense Department is responding to revelations that senior officials' phone records were deleted following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all 24 federal agencies reported at least a quarter of employees teleworking by April 2020. Now some departments are reverting to in-person work, though the Office of Personnel Management within the White House has called for maximizing telework.
In the years ahead, one third of the federal workforce is expected to be retirement eligible.
The Pentagon and Silicon Valley need to team up. Ignoring the role of institutional venture capital in identifying, supporting, and scaling the most promising commercial technology firms is at best inefficient and at worst it is grossly irresponsible.
The Omnibus IV contract addresses four market segments that companies could be selected to provide services to the DoD: research and development; R&D support services; regulatory processes; and translational science and support services.
“This acquisition is an important step in the execution of QinetiQ’s five-year ambitions to expand our presence in the US,” according to the company’s CEO.
"The government’s narrative is not only inaccurate — it makes no sense," reads one document filed in Maryland federal court.
Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.
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