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Message from AFGE General Committee Spokesperson:

Please see attached, which is a settlement agreement between the parties to make changes to the awards system in Article 17 and to engage in settlement discussions over PACS and our GC union-management grievances in the near future. This agreement was made in connection with the latter issue, but no grievances were withdrawn as part of this agreement. The settlement agreement changes the names of the awards from “recognition of contribution” (ROC) to “performance award” and the “exemplary contribution or service award” (ECSA) to “on-the-spot award”.

The agreement expands eligibility for the performance award (formerly ROC) from an element average of 4.0 to 3.5, which will grant thousands more employees an award each year starting this year.

The agreement lifts the $800 cap on non-ratings based awards, meaning potentially higher on-the-spot (formerly) ECSA awards.

The agreement incorporates the Time Off Award MOU as a sidebar to Article 17, putting the MOU into the contract.

The agreement also changes the language in Article 17, Section 3.B, which previously initially allocated 75% of funds to ROCs and 25% to ECSAs, and then unspent ROC money would be transferred over to ECSAs. Each fiscal year, once the ROC awards were paid, millions were transferred to the ECSA pot months later. The intent of the language is to acknowledge the status quo and to speed up the processing of both types of awards by ensuring that the ROCs (now performance awards) get the funds they require and then allocating the awards to the on-the-spot awards.

The Agency has stated its intent to issues awards sooner than in past years, to grant awards to more employees, and to have the awards be meaningful. These are laudable goals and we will work to ensure those goals are realized.

In solidarity,

Rich Couture

Dear AFGE Activist,

Let's keep the pressure on! Tell Congress: Stop the War on America's Workforce!

Last week, hundreds of AFGE members, government workers and union activists gathered in Washington, D.C. to tell members of Congress across the country, and across political party lines, to stop the war on America's workforce. We rallied with our labor family and coalition partners to save our country and save the civil service.

Right now, federal employee's pay, benefits, retirement and health care are on the chopping block as lawmakers work through the current budget process.

At a time when federal employees are already facing extreme stress and uncertainty, Congress should not make things worse by increasing the cost federal employees must pay to save for retirement and provide health care to their families.

Take action now button

Contact your lawmakers and tell them NO CUTS to federal pay and benefits.

In Solidarity,

AFGE



Dear AFGE Activist,

FEEA's annual scholarship competition is available for eligible students and open until March 13, 2025. The scholarship, which ranges from $1,000 to $5,000, can be used for tuition and fees at any accredited college or university.

Eligible students include:
*Federal employees
*Their children, step-children, and legal dependents (under age 25)
*Their spouses
*Some associations and unions partner with FEEA and include scholarships for members, members' children, grandchildren, spouses, or retiree members' children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

Details are included on the website. AFGE families who apply to FEEA's program are also eligible for special AFGE-sponsored awards, using the same application as the regular FEEA scholarship.

Eligible students for the AFGE-sponsored scholarships include:
*Current AFGE members who are active federal employees and their dependents, spouses, and grandchildren.
*Children, grandchildren, and spouses of current AFGE members who are retired federal employees
*Dependents and grandchildren must be under the age of 25

Program information, detailed instructions, and a link to the application can be found here: https://feea.org/our-programs/scholarships/
A video with tips for applicants can be accessed here: https://feea.org/2023/01/scholarship-webinar/.

In Solidarity,AFGE

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2025 COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)

October 15th, 2024 | Posted by admin in Benefits | COLA | News | Political - (0 Comments)

Most Feds to Receive Diet COLA – Again – in 2025

October 15, 2024

The 2025 cost of living adjustment (COLA) was announced last week, and most federal workers will again receive a reduced COLA due to a flawed rule in the current law.

For 2025, Social Security beneficiaries and Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees are expected to receive a 2.5% COLA, while Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirees, those hired in 1984 or later, will only get a 2% increase.

Under the current law, the COLAs for Social Security, CSRS, and FERS are all calculated based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If CPI is 2% or less, the FERS COLA is the same as the CSRS and Social Security COLA. But if the CPI is between 2.01% and 3%, the FERS COLA is 2%. If the CPI is greater than 3%, then the COLA for FERS is 1% less than the CSRS COLA.

What does that mean for a FERS retiree? It means they will lose $128 a year just for 2025, assuming the same average pension. But for those who retired four years ago with the same average pension, their pension would have lost more than $1,000 to rising costs because the losses are compounded.

This unfair penalty places FERS retirees further away from keeping pace with the cost of living.

That’s why AFGE supports the Equal COLA Act (S. 3194 introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla and H.R. 866 introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly) which would eliminate this unfair penalty for FERS Retirees. The legislation would also eliminate the arbitrary pension cost of living reduction federal employees face in high inflation years.

“Our nation’s public servants shouldn’t see their hard-earned retirement benefits eroded by a COLA set at the start to be arbitrarily lower the real inflation rate,” said AFGE Legislative Director Julie Tippens.

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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal emp

SHOW ME THE MONEY

September 8th, 2023 | Posted by admin in Benefits | Did you know? | News - (0 Comments)
Money

As summer vacations fade into memory, we turn our attention to the remaining months of the year and all that’s left to accomplish. The good news is, we have a lot to celebrate as we head into fall.

We are this close to finalizing the largest raise for federal employees in 40 years – on top of a major expansion of the locality pay system that will mean higher wages for tens of thousands of employees in both the General Schedule and Wage Grade pay systems. We’ve also blown past our organizing goal for 2023 – with nearly half the year remaining – and are making personal connections with new and potential members that will only serve to strengthen the federation for years to come.

We’re breaking it all down in this latest issue of the Government Standard.

LOCAL 1395 December 2020 Newsletter "CHALLENGER" is available at the link below.

Share your stories or important mildstones for consideration in the next edition at afge1395@sbcblobal.net

https://online.flipbuilder.com/yjbz/letp/