FederalDaily - November 7, 2005

Unions Sue against NSPS

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and coalition of Department of Defense (DoD) employee unions announced on Nov. 4 plans to file a lawsuit on Nov. 7 against implementation of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) regulations for DoD civilian employees. AFGE alleges the new personnel system will:

• be a waste of money,
• “all but eliminate the due process rights that enable employees to speak with confidence when they see wrongdoing or mismanagement,”
• allow supervisors to punish employees in their paychecks,
• create a so-called “pay-for-performance” system that pits employees against each other for pay increases, and
• end all meaningful collective bargaining.

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EEOC Awarded for Disability-Friendly Workplace

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has received a national award from the Department of Defense (DoD) for its leadership in increasing employment and accessibility for people with disabilities. DoD’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) presented its 2005 CAP Achievement Award to the EEOC—which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination against people with disabilities—for maintaining a disability-friendly workplace. CAP provides thousands of accommodations annually to disabled employees throughout the federal government. Patricia Foley of the EEOC's Office of Human Resources was specifically honored, along with the agency, for obtaining more than 100 accommodations for people with disabilities. CAP also presented similar awards to three other government agencies: the Department of Health and Human Services, the Army and DoD Washington Headquarters Services.

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Congressman Alarmed at Pentagon Contracts

In a Nov. 3 letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., expressed alarm at recent reports that a Defense Department purchasing program called “prime vendor,” aimed at speeding supply deliveries, has resulted in the abuse of taxpayer dollars. Jones said the Pentagon pays “exorbitant prices” for its supplies. “The prime vendor program, which is run by the Defense Logistics Agency, was introduced 15 years ago to expedite the delivery of supplies,” said Jones. “However, unlike other federal programs that use competitive bidding to ensure fairness and transparency, this program only uses selected firms.” He asked Duncan to start an investigation of this issue.

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USAID Program Awarded by Harvard

A top federal program— Global Development Alliance (GDA) at the U.S. Agency for International Development —recently received Harvard University’s first Lewis & Clark Award for Innovation in Collaborative Governance for exhibiting “real-world” success in the use of public-private resources to improve the lives of people in the developing world. GDA links U.S. foreign assistance with resources from business, nongovernmental organizations and philanthropies for international development and humanitarian activities. GDA will be honored at a special luncheon hosted by the Weil Program, the Ash Institute (both of Harvard) and the Washington, D.C.-based Council for Excellence in Government on Nov. 21 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

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TSP Monthly Returns for G, F, C, S and I Funds

Rates of Return were updated on November 1, 2005.

The monthly G, F, C, S, and I Fund returns represent the actual total rates of return used in the monthly allocation of earnings to participant accounts. The returns are shown after deduction of accrued TSP administrative expenses. The F, C, S, and I Fund returns also reflect the deduction of trading costs and accrued investment management fees. The most current G, F, C, S, and I Fund rates of return are shown above. Returns are updated after the monthly allocation of earnings, usually by the fourth business day of the month.

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