Federal Manager's Daily Report: Friday, November 19, 2004 FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal government with now over one million weekly readers. To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm *********************************************************** Valued Added Service to Our Readers:
Federal Job Search http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Job Bulletin Board http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Unlimited Internet Access for as low as $10.90 http://fedweeknet.com Our Readers Will Get Special Discounted Travel Rates Including, Airfare, Hotels, RV's, Car Rentals, and Special Weekend Getaways--Anywhere in the world http://www.fedweek.com/images/adart/travel_redirect.htm ********************************************************** In This Week's Issue 1. Survey Finds Support for Federal Workers http://www.ourpublicservice.org/pressroom/pressroom_show.htm?doc_id=246911 2. Union Prods OPM to Reinstate Reservist Leave Time http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2004/2004-19.asp 3. GSA Announces Contact Center Contract Vehicle 4. Brand New Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide Just http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php ************************************************************ 1. Survey Finds Support for Federal Workers According to a telephone survey of voters conducted by the Partnership for Public Service on Nov. 2, a solid majority of the 1,000 voters selected as a comprehensive sample felt that "blame for government does not lie with federal workers but with elected leaders." PPS observed that amid the divisive election, the voters it polled agreed on the importance of a positive vision for improving government and recognized that "bureaucrat bashing" was not the answer. The poll reinforced earlier findings by the partnership that the language commonly associated with government influences the perception of it, with "federal government workers" eliciting a favorable response and "federal bureaucrats" a negative one. The partnership, a non-partisan organization devoted to making government a more attractive employer, has urged agencies to speak to the "savvy altruism" of candidates in their recruitment efforts, as well as recasting the image of government work. Another partnership survey conducted in May 2004 found that "91 percent of Americans said that the jobs, duties and functions of federal government workers are important to their daily lives -- views that cut across political ideology, race, and geographic lines," but that while about 70 percent had favorable views of government workers, just 20 percent were able to see "government bureaucrats" in a positive light. The full survey is available here: http://www.ourpublicservice.org/pressroom/pressroom_show.htm?doc_id=246911 2. Union Prods OPM to Reinstate Reservist Leave Time The American Federation of Government Employees has sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management proposing "a coordinated effort to develop the fastest and most efficient method of identifying claimants and processing compensation claims" for annual leave erroneously charged to federal employees for military training. OPM announced in an Oct. 13 memo that federal employees undergoing military training may have been improperly charged annual leave that should have been covered by military leave. A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruling forced OPM to reverse its policy of counting non-work days during training toward the 15 days of annual military leave, and removing personal annual leave once the military leave ran out. The union said the policy reversal makes thousands of current and former federal employees eligible for leave adjustments or other compensation, and offered OPM assistance in developing and implementing the claims to speed up the process. "OPM has admitted its mistake, and we will hold every federal agency to its legal responsibility," said Joe Goldberg, AFGE Assistant General Counsel. According to OPM�s memo, the burden of proof rests with employees, who must make claims through their agencies to get back one day for each non-workday charged. The memo can be found here: http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2004/2004-19.asp 3. GSA Announces Contact Center Contract Vehicle The General Services Administration has announced a new contract vehicle, FirstContact, designed to provide "a full range of services including telephone and e-mail inquiry services, automated and interactive voice response services and E-Government solutions as well as customer relationship management strategies to federal agencies." It said the contract would allow agencies to get contractors on board quickly, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency used it to set up a call center in response to the Florida hurricanes. "Within days of contacting USA Services, a task order was awarded to FEMA and call center services were up and running," said GSA. It said the USA Services-affiliated contract is the first to focus solely on contact center management services. To learn more go to: www.usaservices.gov Brand New Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide Just Published New Publication Announcement: The Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php Passman & Kaplan announces the October 2004 publication of the SECOND EDITION of the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide. This comprehensive book, first published by Passman & Kaplan in 1999, has been called the definitive how-to guide for enforcing the rights of federal employees. The second edition of the Guide includes 100 PAGES OF ADDITIONAL NEW MATERIAL (now 616 total pages) and useful advice. New features include information on internet legal research, preparing for and conducting a hearing, sample discovery requests, and up-to-date contact information for federal personnel agencies. The Guide also includes a listing of frequently used civil service acronyms and practical appendices of sample forms, charts illustrating appeal rights, and commonly-needed deadlines. As with the first edition of the Guide, Passman & Kaplan has attempted to move away from the "legalese" which so often complicates an already-bewildering array of regulations and policies. Although the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide, Second Edition is clearly an invaluable resource for practioners, Passman & Kaplan has maintained its commitment to target the book to the average federal employee. ********************************************************** To place your order for The Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide just go to http://www.fedweek.com/pub/index.php and place your secure order online. The cost of this publication is only $49.95 Plus $6 s&h--Remember, this is a 616 page reference that is chalked full of invaluable information that every federal manager must have! Or you can mail your order with payment of $55.95 to FEDweek, PO Box 5519, Glen Allen, VA 23058. This is a one of a kind book you can't afford to be without! Published by FEDweek 11541 Nuckols Rd. 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