Issues

IFPTE Federal Sector Legislative Proposals

As one of the largest federal sector labor unions IFPTE’s legislative agenda on federal items is a vast one. Below is an itemized list of IFPTE’s legislative priorities impacting federal employees in the current 111th Congress:

I. IFPTE Proposed Legislation that is not currently pending:

• Overtime pay related to the foreign exemption for overseas assignments - When some federal employees are sent overseas on temporary assignment, their rate of compensation is cut for all hours of overtime worked. In other words, workers who would otherwise earn overtime pay are instead classified as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when they travel overseas on work assignments. IFPTE urges Congress to introduce and pass legislation to provide locality pay and FLSA overtime protections for non-exempt temporary and permanent federal employees working abroad.
• Limit the use of “Term” hiring – Prevent federal agencies such as NASA from abusing their hiring flexibilities to hire ‘term workers’ instead of permanent civil servants. IFPTE asks Congress to adopt legislation mandating that no more than 10% of new hires within any federal agency in any fiscal year be hired into “term” positions and that no more than 5% of the total civil service workforce at any federal agency consists of “term” positions.

II. IFPTE Supported Pending Legislation:

• Adopt the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act - IFPTE urges Congress to pass H.R. 626 and S. 354, to provide 4 out of 12 weeks of full pay to federal employees for parental leave to care for newly born infants, or adopted children. Currently federal workers are entitled to 12 weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. However, because it is uncompensated leave federal workers are forced to use sick leave or vacation time, or simply not able to take advantage of the parental leave. The House passed this bill last year.
• Redesignating Lock and Dam Workers as Inherently Governmental – IFPTE calls on Congress to pass legislation that will ensure that the “inherently governmental” jobs of Lock and Dam workers employed by the Army Corps of Engineers are no longer considered for contracting out. Ensuring for the efficient and safe passage of commercial and military vessels through our nation’s inner waterways, Corps lock and dam workers are a critical component to our nation’s homeland security and should remain an inherently governmental function.
• Domestic Partner Benefits - Adopt S. 1102, introduced by Senators Collins (R-ME) and Liebermann (I-CT) and HR 2517, introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), to extend the same retirement benefits, long-term care, health care benefits, family and medical leave, and all other accommodations afforded to federal workers in traditional marriages to those in domestic partnerships or same-sex marriages. Senate and House Committees have already approved their respective bills. IFPTE urges the full Congress to approve this important legislation and send it to President Obama for approval.
• Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) Pensions - IFPTE urges Congress to adopt HR 2850, bipartisan legislation sponsored by Representatives Kucinich (D-OH) and former Rep. McHugh (R-NY) to allow for enhanced pension benefits for federal Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). Currently ALJs are forced to work well into their senior years in order to receive a pension benefit equal to that of most federal workers.
• Enhance Annual Leave for Federal Judges - Adopt S. 1228, sponsored by Senators Akaka (D-HI) and Pryor (D-AR) to “modify the rate of accrual annual leave for administrative law judges, contract appeals board members, and immigration judges.”
• Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset - IFPTE urges Congress to pass H.R. 235, sponsored by Rep. Berman (D-CA), to repeal or reform both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions unfairly deprive public and federal retirees of Social Security benefits earned by them through non-government employment, or earned by their spouses.
• The Federal Employees and Uniformed Services Retirement Equity Act of 2010 - HR 4865, jointly sponsored by House Federal Workforce Subcommittee Chairman Lynch and Ranking Member Chaffetz, to allow federal employees to invest unused annual leave in their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts. IFPTE believes this is a bill that will provide federal workers an added benefit for increased retirement savings at no additional cost to taxpayers;
• The Telework Improvements Act of 2009 – H.R. 1722, sponsored by Rep. Sarbanes (D-MD), a bipartisan bill to add structure, guidance and instruction for federal agencies to create and implement policies to foster telecommuting in the federal government. This bill will also allow eligible federal workers the ability to work from home so long as performance is not adversely impacted.

III. General Federal Pay Concerns

• Federal Pay Raise – Uphold the long held tradition of Pay-Parity between military personnel and civilian workers.
• The cap on GS-15 salary – Congress and the Obama Administration are urged to raise the arbitrary cap on GS salary that is currently preventing some of the federal government’s most talented senior scientists, engineers, researchers and others from receiving meaningful promotions or the full measure of their annual cost-of-living adjustments.