FederalDaily - January 20, 2006
USPS Assists Deaf Workers
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced on Wednesday that it will utilize
state-of-the-art video interpreting services at postal facilities to allow
its 4,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing employees to better communicate with co-workers.
Rather than having to schedule interpreter visits, USPS has started installing
Sorenson Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and Video Relay Service (VRS). VRI—a
fee-based video interpreting service—will allow workers in the same location
to communicate, while VRS—a free video relay service—assists in
communication for people at different locations. Because VRI and VRS use video,
they will enable deaf and hard-of-hearing postal workers to better express
themselves than if the employees used text-based communication services. The
services are currently available at 25 postal facilities, with more to be added
throughout the year.
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TSP Matching Program for Army
Servicemembers participating in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) could soon receive
matching contributions from their respective services, as a new pilot program
for the Army was authorized under the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act.
Section 652 of the act requires the secretary of the Army to provide matching
contributions of up to 5 percent for servicemembers enlisted for an initial
period of greater than two years. The secretary of Defense will submit a report
to Congress by Feb. 1, 2007, including total matching contributions made, and
the number of participants in the pilot program. The report has to provide
an analysis of whether TSP matching for military personnel enhances recruiting
efforts and encourages financial responsibility.
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Illegal Immigrants Working on Military Base Arrested
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents arrested 11 immigrants
accused of working illegally at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS
JRB) in Fort Worth, Texas, the agency announced earlier this week. The arrests
occurred soon after a document check of all nonmilitary personnel working at
the facility. ICE arrested more than two dozen other illegal immigrants at
NAS JRB during two previous operations in 2003—those individuals currently
await removal proceedings. The arrests are part of a concentrated effort by
ICE to remove illegal aliens working at sensitive sites such as defense facilities,
nuclear plants and airports.
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FDIC/NTEU Reach Pay Agreement
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) employees are set to receive
annual 4.2 percent pay raises through 2009 and other benefits under a new compensation
agreement ratified by FDIC and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU),
the union said. Further, according to NTEU, FDIC will continue to cover 83
percent of employee health care costs. NTEU said that FDIC had sought to decrease
the level of coverage to the federal government average of 72 percent. The
agreement also maintains the 5 percent employer contribution for employee FDIC
savings plans. One change is that individual pay increases will be tied to
performance. NTEU President Colleen Kelley said that the union is “confident
that the changes…will result in pay determinations that are more fair,
transparent and credible.”
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