FederalDaily - May 4, 2006

Online Survey on New SES Pay System

The Senior Executive Association (SEA) is gathering views and opinions on the new Senior Executive Service (SES) pay and performance management system with an online survey. SEA has plans to present the results to Congress. In a May 1 press release, SEA invited all SES members to provide comments, including those who are not SEA members. Carol Bonosaro, SEA president, stated, “We urge every SES member to respond. We must have a high participation rate so that we will have a very accurate picture of how well the system is working and what effect it is having on the corps.” The survey was developed with Avue Technologies and takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The survey is accessible through SEA’s Web site, at www.seniorexecs.org.

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Union Wants Mileage Reimbursement Adjustment

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson asking him to recalculate the mileage reimbursement rate for federal employees who use their vehicles for official business. Kelley thanked Everson for adjusting rates last year when gas prices soared, and asked for a similar increase to “offset skyrocketing gasoline prices.” Kelley wrote, “Gas prices are reaching record levels and private as well as public sector employees are bearing the cost of traveling for their employers.” NTEU is also supporting legislation introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., which would adjust the mileage reimbursement rate.

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Problems with Privatization of Military Housing

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted several shortcomings in the management of military housing privatization projects in a recent report. GAO found that 16 out of 44 privatized projects had occupancy rates below the expected 90 percent as of Sept. 30, 2005. The report noted that Department of Defense (DoD) semiannual reports on military housing privatization lacked key performance measures and often were not submitted on time. In addition, GAO found that DoD did not maintain servicemember satisfaction statistics—as a result, the department could not make meaningful service-by-service comparisons. GAO’s recommendations included the following:

• provide the services with guidance on information collection and reporting; and
• determine how increased housing allowances could affect military housing projects.

To read the report, go to www.gao.gov/new.items/d06438.pdf.

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Veteran-Friendly Corporations Recognized

At a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last week Chairman Steve Buyer, R-Ind., noted a commitment among the nation’s top 25 corporations to hiring veterans and accommodating those called to active duty. “Each of these companies have [sic] programs that continue pay and benefits when their employees are activated,” Buyer noted. Among the companies recognized were Home Depot, Exxon-Mobil, Harley Davidson and Union Pacific. According to a committee press release, 50 percent of trainees in Home Depot’s training program are former military. Union Pacific, meanwhile, employs a full-time military recruiter, and devotes 12 percent of its recruiting budget to advertising for military hires.

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