FederalDaily - June 23, 2005
House Committee Approves Pay Parity
The House Appropriations Committee on June 21 approved a 3.1 percent pay
increase for both federal civilian and military employees in fiscal year 2006.
The president's 2006 budget only called for a 2.3 percent pay raise for civilian
employees. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley said
the committee’s pay parity decision was “important recognition” of
the jobs federal employees perform. The pay parity amendment was offered by
Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Jim Moran, D-Va., and Frank Wolf, R-Va. The American
Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) also applauded the move to give civilians
pay parity. Further, in a statement, AFGE said it credits the House Appropriations
Committee for declining to approve a request by the Office of Personnel Management
for $2.6 million to study and implement government-wide civil service reform.
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NTEU Wants DHS Personnel System Stopped
In anticipation of the planned Aug. 1 implementation of new personnel regulations
by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Treasury Employees
Union (NTEU), part of a coalition of five unions, asked a federal court on
June 22 for an injunction to block the regulations from going into effect.
NTEU’s motion for an injunction is the latest development in the unions’ lawsuit
alleging that DHS regulations establishing a new personnel system fail to guarantee
employees’ collective bargaining rights. “What NTEU wants,” NTEU
President Colleen Kelley said, “is for our questions about the legality
of the regulations to be answered before the rules are implemented in six weeks.”
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House Passes DoD Appropriations
The House passed the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act on June
20 by a vote of 398-19. The legislation, which would give DoD $409 billion
for fiscal year 2006, provides for:
- a 3.1 percent increase in basic pay for members of the armed
forces;
- making permanent several wartime-related pay and benefits
that were temporarily established last year, including an increase
in the death gratuity to $100,000; and
- an increase from $300 to $750 per month in the amount of
hardship pay.
Further, $1.2 billion is included specifically for force protection items
such as up-armored Humvees and next-generation body armor. The bill also funds
$20 million for the military’s Family Advocacy program to fight domestic
violence. The Senate still has to pass its version of the bill.
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OSHA Commends USPS for Safety
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has become the first federal agency to be accepted
into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new Voluntary
Protection Program (VPP) Corporate pilot program. The VPP program emphasizes
efforts by management, employees and union representatives to identify and
eliminate unsafe working conditions and practices to reduce the number and
severity of job-related injuries and illnesses. OSHA’s Acting Assistant
Secretary of Labor Jonathan L. Snare said USPS was accepted to VPP after an
evaluation of its safety and health management systems at its headquarters
in Washington, D.C. Since 2001, USPS safety efforts have resulted in a 36 percent
reduction in the total number of OSHA injuries and illnesses.
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