FederalDaily.com > Senate/House Agree on 3.1 Percent Raise

FederalDaily - November 21, 2005

Senate/House Agree on 3.1 Percent Raise

A 3.1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees has passed a major hurdle—it has been included in the Transportation and Treasury Appropriations conference report (the House/Senate agreed-upon version of the bill). The House passed the report on Nov. 18 and the Senate still has to vote on it. The conference report also includes outsourcing provisions that state that federal agencies would now be required to give federal employees a chance to compete for their jobs through an in-house team known as the Most Efficient Organization. The language also requires savings of at least 10 percent of what it would cost the MEO to do the work, or $10 million, before the function can be contracted out. Maryland Democrats Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes called the legislation a “major victory” for federal employees. They said it will help to “level the playing field in [federal employees’] fight against unfair contracting out procedures.” National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley agreed, saying the inclusion of the outsourcing provision in the conference report was “very good news.” The same conference report includes language stipulating that none of the IRS’ Taxpayer Assistance Centers can be shut down—as proposed—until the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration completes a study detailing the impact that these closures would have on employees and clients.

New Info Posted on Federal Discrimination Complaints

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted on its Web site new information in the form of “frequently asked questions,” about the administrative hearing process for redress of federal sector discrimination complaints. The recently posted Web page, at www.eeoc.gov/federal/faq_fshp.html, is designed to assist complainants without legal representation, EEOC said. It includes information about the parties involved; steps that take place prior to, at and after a hearing; definitions of legal terminology; and a variety of sample forms and orders. “Our administrative judges nationwide are constantly told by complainants and their representatives that there is a critical need for information they can understand about how the federal sector hearing process is conducted,” said Nicholas M. Inzeo, director of the EEOC's Office of Field Programs.

Large Increase in Veterans’ COLA

The Senate and the House on Nov. 16 passed one of the largest increases in the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for veterans in recent memory, the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs announced. The bill, S. 1234, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, committee chairman, now goes to the president for his signature. “This is the largest increase since 1991,” said Craig. “For those veterans who are 100 percent disabled, their compensation will increase by approximately $1,100 for 2006, up from $27,588 to $28,716.”The increase is based on the rise in the consumer price index. Craig said veterans will see the increase in their Jan. 1, 2006, paychecks.Among the veterans estimated to receive such compensation are: 12 World War I veterans; 347,126 World War II veterans; 162,549 Korean-conflict veterans; 944,799 Vietnam-era veterans; and 639,690 veterans of the Persian Gulf War era.

Examination of “One Face at the Border”

The House Homeland Security Committee last week approved a provision advanced by the committee chairman, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., that calls for an in-depth study of the impact of the “One Face at the Border” initiative put in place by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President John Gage and National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley have expressed opposition to the initiative. One Face at the Border, which seeks to combine the work of legacy Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service and Agriculture Department inspectors into a single position, “has instead resulted in a serious loss of expertise, training and inspection coverage,” Kelley said. “This loss of specialization does not make our country safer,” she added. “AFGE was pleased to see the inclusion of a ‘One Face at the Border’ study in the underlying majority bill,” Gage said.

CBP Benefits Rejected

Also while marking up H.R. 4312, the Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005 , the House Homeland Security Committee rejected some provisions that wouldhave affected CBP employees. According to NTEU, the provisions—offered by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas—were efforts to increase journeyman inspectors’ pay grade to GS-12; improve the existing foreign language award program; provide CBP officers with law enforcement officer status; and require that trainees at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, be paid for working a sixth day of training each week without pay. “Each of these provisions would not only improve operations at the border,” Kelley said, “they would go a long way toward addressing the very serious issue of low worker morale within CBP.”