In The News

AFGE Insists Open Competition, Veterans Preference Must be Upheld in Hiring Reform:

AFGE Public Policy Director Jacqueline Simon recently told a House panel that AFGE supports the White House’s efforts to modernize, simplify, and reduce the time it takes to hire and train federal employees, but the new plans won’t mean anything if agencies are permitted to continue to avoid open competition and veterans’ preference by using direct hiring authorities. Although the revisions outlined in President Obama’s memorandum are a step in the right direction, they do not go far enough in restricting the usage of the Federal Career Intern Program.

AFGE Defeats Attempts to Freeze Federal Pay:

The American Federation of Government Employees recently defeated Republican lawmakers’ attempts to eliminate the 2011 pay raise for federal employees. The union is asking its members to stay vigilant as Republican leaders have vowed to try again. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., offered an amendment to the emergency supplemental spending bill that would have frozen federal employees’ 2011 pay. House Republicans followed suit when Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., offered a similar amendment during debate over the Defense Authorization bill. AFGE quickly reached out to members of Congress, who voted down both amendments. The attacks on federal employees began this year by the so-called Economic Recovery Working Group, spearheaded by Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Richmond Virginia, who launched a Web site called YouCut at http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut. Under the guise of “controlling federal spending,” their real intent is to cut federal pay, freeze and outsource federal jobs.