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Federal Government Operating Status in the Washington, DC, Area the following message applies only to Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED. This Means . . . Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are closed. Nonemergency employees (including employees on pre-approved leave) will be granted excused absence for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. This does not apply to employees on leave without pay, leave without pay for military duty, workers' compensation, suspension, or in another nonpay status. Telework employees may be expected to work from their telework sites, as...

Growing up in Michigan in the heyday of the United Auto Workers, I long assumed that labor unions were part of the natural order of things. That's no longer clear. Last month, the Labor Department reported that private-sector unions lost 834,000 members last year and now represent only 7.2 percent of private-sector employees. That's down from the all-time peak of 36 percent in 1953-54. But union membership is still growing in the public sector. Last year, 37.4 percent of public sector employees were union members. That percentage was down near zero in the 1950s. For the first time in history,...

January 20, 1981 Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies Subject: Hiring Freeze I am ordering today a strict freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees to be applied across the board in the executive branch. This action is necessary because the national budget is out of control. Estimates of Federal spending for fiscal years 1981 and 1982 have -- in a single year -- increased by $100 billion. Last July, during my campaign for the Presidency, I pledged that we would take this action as a first step towards controlling the growth and size of government...

Forbes recently reported that the government will be hiring 600,000 more employees during the next four years. If that's not reason enough, USA Today reported that the number of government employees earning six-figure salaries has increased too. So, get your resume ready! Here is our mix of some of the highest-paying (and coolest-sounding) jobs currently being offered in government. Even if you are perfectly content in your current line of work, just the job descriptions for these positions are worth checking out. Special Agent, FBI Annual Salary: $57,000 and $74,000 Supervisory IT Specialist, FBI Annual Salary: $123,000 and $155,000 Aerospace...

The Obama administration projects the number of employees on the government payroll will grow to 2.15 million this year, reportedly making it the largest federal workforce in modern history and fueling criticism over the size of government.

Excerpt: The budget answers critics, including Scott Brown, the newly elected Republican senator from Massachusetts, who say federal civilians earn much more than private-sector workers. There's a reason for that. Federal workers are better educated. "The Federal Government hires lawyers to tackle corruption, security professionals to monitor our borders, doctors to care for our injured veterans, and world-class scientists to combat deadly diseases such as cancer," the budget says. "Because of these vital needs, the Federal Government hires a relatively highly educated workforce, resulting in higher average pay." Consider these stats: Twenty percent of federal workers have a master's, professional...

Americans move to where your money is. Every day thousands of Americans vote with their feet on the best places to live and work, and these migration patterns can tell a lot about state economies—and economic policies. United Van Lines has released its annual report for 2009, based on those the moving company has relocated across one state line to another, and the winner is . . . (snip) As for the biggest winner, well, our readers won't be surprised to learn that it was Washington, D.C. by a large margin. United Van Lines moved nearly seven families to the...

Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are OPEN under an UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. This Means . . . Employees who cannot report for work may request unscheduled leave for their entire scheduled workday. Employees must notify their supervisors of their intent to take unscheduled leave. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time.

Federal workers owed more than $3 billion in income taxes in 2008, according to the Internal Revenue Service, a figure down slightly from 2007.The agency reported that 276,300 current and retired federal employees owed $3,042,200,000 in 2008, down from $3,586,784,725 in unpaid taxes in 2007. The list includes White House and Congressional staffers and current and former active-duty and reserve members of the military. The agency provides an updated snapshot of tax habits among current and former federal workers each year and provides copies of the list to reporters upon request. The agency does not provide similar snapshots of the...

The president of one of America’s largest labor unions, Gerry McEntee, has emerged as a major obstacle to the White House’s efforts to maintain a unified front in the health care debate. The veteran president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has crossed lines that few labor leaders – even those who quietly agree with him – would go near.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The campaign to stop the massive expansion of taxpayer-funding of abortions through the health care bills isn't the only abortion debate that will take place in Congress as lawmakers return from their August break. They will also consider funding abortions in the nation's capital and for federal employees.Early this summer, President Obama asked members of Congress to write the federal budget bills in such as way as to allow tax-funding abortions in the District of Columbia.The House complied and approved a bill that funds abortions in Washington and then the House Appropriations Committee voted largely...

Senate Will Soon Consider Abortion Funding in DC, for Federal Employees Washington, DC -- The campaign to stop the massive expansion of taxpayer-funding of abortions through the health care bills isn't the only abortion debate that will take place in Congress as lawmakers return from their August break. They will also consider funding abortions in the nation's capital and for federal employees. Full story and action alert at: http://www.Lifenews.com/nat5433.html

Snip... Figure 1 looks at average wages. In 2008, the average wage for 1.9 million federal civilian workers was $79,197, which compared to an average $49,935 for the nation’s 108 million private sector workers (measured in full-time equivalents). The figure shows that the federal pay advantage (the gap between the lines) is steadily increasing.

Thursday's Washington Post contained comprehensive coverage, three stories no less, of Barack Obama's presidential memorandum that decrees in these dark days of recession new "benefits to partners of federal workers." But don't worry, your scarce hard-earned tax dollars won't go to all domestic lovers. Just homosexual ones. The memorandum "does not cover domestic heterosexual partners," reports the Post. And who largely drafted the memorandum? John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, who is "the highest-ranking openly gay person in the administration." Heterosexual sinners need to hire better lobbyists, or hope that Obama soon finds in his impressively massive...

Faced with growing anger among gay and lesbian supporters, President Obama is expected tonight to extend healthcare and other benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. His action is a significant advance for gay rights and comes days after the Obama administration sparked outrage by filing a legal brief defending the law forbidding federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Obama opposed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act during his presidential campaign. It was not immediately clear whether Obama's latest decision would mollify his critics. Some offered only grudging support Tuesday night after learning of the president's intentions. "This is a...

President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Wednesday to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, administration officials said Tuesday evening, but he will stop short of pledging full health insurance coverage. Mr. Obama, in an Oval Office announcement, is expected to offer details about which benefits will be provided. It is the most significant statement he has made on gay issues, and it comes as he faces intense criticism from several gay rights leaders over what they suggest has been a failure to live up to campaign promises in the first months of his presidency. Mr. Obama...

President Obama will announce tomorrow that he is extending federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners, White House officials said tonight. Obama will sign an executive order implementing the change in the Oval Office, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the president's announcement. The move would give partners of federal employees access to health care and financial benefits such as relocation fees for moves. The State Department announced a similar extension of benefits last month, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling it "the right thing to do."...

Obama to extend benefits to gay federal workers By PHILIP ELLIOTT WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to extend health care and other benefits to the gay and lesbian partners of federal employees. White House officials say Obama plans to announce decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president had not yet made the announcement. The move would give partners of federal employees access to health care and financial benefits such as relocation fees for moves. Officials say Obama would detail more details of the decision on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama plans to extend health care and other benefits to the gay and lesbian partners of federal employees. White House officials say Obama plans to announce decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president had not yet made the announcement. Snip access to health care and financial benefits such as relocation fees for moves.

The 3.9% pay raise is an average. We have gotten comments from readers complaining that our projected pay rates for 2009 do not show a 3.9% increase for their city or town. An average means that some will get more than 3.9% and some will get less. The base pay rate increase for 2009 is less than 3.9%. The 3.9% average is reached by taking into account locality pay rates. This means that some federal employees in some areas will get less because they are not in a locality pay area.