Big and gettin' bigger!

Big Gubmint

Big Gubmint

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The era of big gubmint is here to stay, in the form of the largest federal work force in history.

The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that “the era of big government is over” and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force.

That figure does not include postal workers.

Nor does it include 7.6 million federal contract workers.

Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010.

Applications are up 62 percent since last year.
 
President Obama is giving federal workers a salary increase -- 1.4 percent -- in his proposed budget for fiscal 2011.

With the title "Improving the Federal Workforce," Chapter 10 covers a variety of topics, including old favorites such as improving the federal hiring process, restoring the balance between employees and contractors, and improving employee training -- a significant inclusion in a time of cutbacks. It also talks about using the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to improve health and lower insurance costs.

"I can't recall seeing an administration budget that paid this kind of positive attention to the federal workforce," said John Palguta, vice president of the good-government Partnership for Public Service and former federal personnel manager. The budget is a "clear demonstration to me that this isn't just idle talk for the administration."
 
The standards of conduct provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), among other statutes, guarantee certain rights to members of unions representing Federal employees and impose certain responsibilities on officers of these unions to ensure union democracy, financial integrity, and transparency.

The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) is the Federal agency with primary authority to enforce many standards of conduct provisions. If you need additional information or suspect a violation of these rights or responsibilities, please contact OLMS at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. You should also refer to 29 CFR 457.1 - 459.5, and your union's constitution and bylaws for information on union procedures, timelines, and remedies.

Union Member Rights

Bill of Rights- Union members have:

equal rights to participate in union activities
freedom of speech and assembly
voice in setting rates of dues, fees, and assessments
protection of the right to sue
safeguards against improper discipline


Prohibition Against Violence - No one may use or threaten to use force or violence to interfere with a union member in the exercise of his or her CSRA rights.
 
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union representing federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Workers in virtually all functions of government at every federal agency depend upon AFGE for legal representation, legislative advocacy, technical expertise and informational services.
 
The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) is a national union representing government workers across the United States.

Ratifying its constitution on September 20, 1917, NFFE is the oldest union representing federal employees.

NFFE locals are spread throughout the United States and the world: from Florida to Alaska, Puerto Rico to South Korea, and most everywhere in between, NFFE fights for the rights of federal employees both home and abroad.

NFFE's mission is to advance the social and economic welfare and education of federal workers through our continued work in organizing units of federal employees, representing their interests through collective bargaining, lobbying for legislative action, fighting for better working conditions, and promoting labor-management partnerships in agency decision-making.
 
National Treasury Employees' Union (NTEU) is widely known as a smart, tough organization, well-respected for its knowledge of federal employee issues, and for its determination to work with federal agencies, with Congress, and in the courts to protect, promote and expand the rights of those it represents.

For 70 years, NTEU has been driven by the principle that every federal employee should be treated with dignity and respect. In that time, NTEU has grown to represent some 150,000 bargaining unit employees in 30 federal agencies and departments.

NTEU members are represented by an experienced and professional staff in Washington, D.C., seven field offices across the nation and highly trained, dedicated local leaders in their workplaces.

The standards of conduct provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), among other statutes, guarantee certain rights to Federal employees who exercise their statutory right to become a member of a union representing Federal employees. The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) is the Federal agency with primary authority to enforce many standards of conduct provisions
 
The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers today applauded the proposal in the White House fiscal 2011 budget blueprint for a return to parity in pay raises for the government’s workforce.

“The administration earlier said it would return to pay parity after moving away from it for the 2010 raise. I am glad to see its adherence to the commitment.”
 
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) is open to almost all of the government’s civilian employees.

FEHB contains a number of features that make it one of the nation’s leaders in the provision of health insurance. For example:

within 60 days from the date workers enter the government (or become eligible), they may enroll in a health benefits plan with group-rated premiums and benefits;
coverage is provided without a medical examination or restrictions because of age, current health, or pre-existing conditions;
there are no waiting periods for benefits to kick in after the effective date of enrollment; there is catastrophic protection against unusually large medical bills; and there's an opportunity, during annual open seasons, to enroll in a health benefits plan if not already enrolled, or if enrolled, to change to another plan or option.

The FEHB law mandates that special consideration be given to enrollees of certain FEHB plans who receive covered health services in states with a critical shortage of primary care physicians.

FEHB fee-for-service insurers are required to provide benefits to plan participants in medically underserved areas who use any health care provider licensed to perform the specific medical service.

The following states are medically underserved areas under the FEHB program: Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
 
Paid to stay home...

When OPM announces a delayed arrival policy, employees will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the designated number of hours past their normal arrival time. Employees should plan their commutes so that they arrive for work no more than six hours later than they would normally arrive. An employee who arrives later than the designated number of hours may choose to take excused absence for the excess time.



Agencies may use the guidance in OPM's Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules (see information on "Excused Absence" in the "Flexible Work Schedules" section) to determine the "normal arrival and departure times" of employees on flexible schedules.



A teleworker must follow his or her agency's policy on whether a teleworker must report for work on time at the telework site when a delayed arrival policy is announced on the employee's teleworkday or on any of the employee's regularly scheduled workdays.



Early Dismissal Policy



When OPM authorizes an early dismissal policy before the workday ends, non-emergency employees will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the number of hours remaining in their workday beyond their designated early dismissal time. Employees will be dismissed relative to their normal departure times from work. For example, if a 3-hour early dismissal is announced, employees who normally leave their offices at 5:00 p.m. would be authorized to leave at 2:00 p.m. (i.e., the employee's early dismissal time).



Agencies may use the guidance in OPM's Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules (see information on "Excused Absence" in the "Flexible Work Schedules" section) to determine the "normal arrival and departure times" of employees on flexible schedules.



Emergency employees and mission-critical emergency employees are expected to remain on duty, unless otherwise directed by their agencies. A teleworker must follow his or her agency's policy on whether a teleworker must continue to work at the telework site when an early dismissal policy is announced on the employee's teleworkday or on any of the employee's regularly scheduled workdays. An agency may require a telework employee to complete his or her regularly scheduled workday when an early dismissal policy is announced.
 
Cost of Government Day came in August last year. You know, that's the day that you stop working to pay for the cost of big government (spending plus regulation).

Thanks, suckers!
 
Working people toiled 224 days last year just to meet all the costs imposed by big government - a full 26 days longer than 2008.

In other words, in 2009 the cost of big government consumed 61.34 percent of America's national income.

Can't wait 'til next year!
 
To tax (from the Latin taxo; "I estimate", which in turn is from tangō; "I touch") is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law.
 
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States federal government agency that collects taxes and enforces the internal revenue laws. It is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is responsible for interpretation and application of Federal tax law.
 
The federal government of the United States imposes a progressive tax on the taxable income of individuals, partnerships, companies, corporations, trusts, decedents' estates, and certain bankruptcy estates. Some state and municipal governments also impose income taxes.

The first Federal income tax was imposed (under Article I, section 8, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution) during the Civil War, then again in the 1890s, and again after the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in 1913.

Current income taxes are imposed under these constitutional provisions and various sections of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including 26 U.S.C. § 1 (imposing income tax on the taxable income of individuals, estates and trusts) and 26 U.S.C. § 11 (imposing income tax on the taxable income of corporations).
 
The Sixteenth Amendment (ratified by the requisite number of states in 1913), says "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."
 
The Federal government of the United States operates as a system of interconnected departments and agencies to deal with the administration of government programs.

The bureaucracy's job is to implement laws.

This accomplished by making regulations and spending money.

Your money.

There's not a damned thing you can do to stop us, pare our numbers or even give us a moment's anxiety.

Politicians come and go. We stay and grow.
 
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