... at least until January 20, 2021.
Another Comment period closes on another proposal. Their proposal deserves your Comments, as their proposals mostly have deserved your Comments for four years. The situation has not changed yet, you know. They are still in power, still making proposals, and Comments are still necessary.
What follows is information for you to use regarding the Comment period that ends today on their proposal to circumvent federal labor laws that govern the federal workforce. Feel free to copy all or any part of the following in order to leave your own Comments.
(LexisNexis)
Temporary and Term Employment
A Proposed Rule by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
TO: regulations.gov
Docket No.: 2020-20038.
RIN: 3206-AN92.
Comment Period Deadline: November 10, 2020.
Summary: Currently, "permanent" federal employees are in positions that are expected to continue indefinitely. "Temporary" or "term" employees are in positions with a fixed end date. The current proposed change would increase the present maximum limit of four years for most "nonpermanent" workers from 4 to 10 years.
Relevance and Justification: The American Federation of Government Employees has pointed out that federal agencies could use their authority to fill more positions with employees who will be out of their jobs when their term ends, as they do now under even more limiting rules. The AFGE notes that this sets the stage for a "disposable workforce," as distinct from a career federal workforce. The practice of hiring term and temporary federal workers is apparently widespread at the present time as it is, "with some individuals serving for years and years rotating from one temporary position to another without job security and without proper access to benefit programs," the National Treasury Employees Union has observed.
Term employees in federal employment may not qualify for an annuity benefit and may not be eligible for the same percentage of federal contribution to premiums to continue their federal health insurance coverage when they retire. Further, term employees do not have a right to appeal. As the public policy director of the AFGE has said, "It's a streamlined way to fire people--when your term has ended, they can fire you because your term has ended."
CONCLUSION
Your proposed rule circumvents federal labor laws that apply to federal workers. It is contrary to law. It must be withdrawn or, if it is not withdrawn, then it must be struck down as soon as it is issued, if ever.
Thank you for your consideration of these Comments.
Please read the disclaimer. This article ©2020 Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved except that as stated, permission is freely given to quote all or part of the above Comments in any Comment on the proposed rule that may be left on regulations.gov, by any reader, with or without attribution.
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