Author Archive
Erich Wagner

Erich Wagner is a senior correspondent covering pay, benefits, organized labor and other federal workforce issues. He joined Government Executive in the spring of 2017 after extensive experience writing about state and local issues in Maryland and Virginia, most recently as editor-in-chief of the Alexandria Times. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.
Workforce
House, Senate Dems push bill to prevent the next Schedule F
The latest legislative proposal to block presidents from unilaterally stripping federal workers of their civil service protections creates additional barriers to reclassifying employees.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Congressional Democrats propose an 8.7% pay raise for feds in 2024
The annually introduced bill would provide a 4.7% across-the-board increase in basic pay and an average 4% increase to locality pay.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Here’s what still needs to happen for feds to get their 2023 pay raise
Although there’s only a month left in the year, there are still a number of things that must be done to finalize an average 4.6% pay hike for civilian federal workers in January.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
OPM finalizes rules rescinding provisions of Trump’s firing executive order
The new regulations follow through on a 2021 executive order signed by President Biden rescinding several of the Trump administration’s personnel policies.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Federal retirees are set to receive the highest COLA in decades, but some will get less than others
Civil Service Retirement System enrollees will see an 8.7% increase in their defined benefit pension payments in 2023, while participants in the Federal Employees Retirement System will only receive a 7.7% increase.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Federal employees will pay 8.7% more toward health care premiums next year
The Office of Personnel Management said increased use of health care services as the COVID-19 pandemic has waned has led to the sharpest uptick in health insurance premiums in more than a decade.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Your guide to pay and benefits during a shutdown
Although lawmakers are loath to let appropriations lapse ahead of an election, complications remain over permitting reform and other measures expected to be included in legislation to keep the government open.
- By Erich Wagner
Congress
House passes bill to prevent civil service overhauls without input from Congress
Despite the support of more than 30 good government groups, Republicans remained largely opposed to the measure.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
It's official: Biden formalizes average 4.6% pay raise plan for feds in 2023
The annual declaration of a national emergency preventing large automatic pay increases from taking effect confirms that 0.5% of the total pay raise will go to an average increase in locality pay.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
The contractor responsible for the TSP’s troubled recordkeeping transition pledges to improve
Since the TSP moved to Accenture’s recordkeeping system on June 1, participants have bemoaned a variety of issues with the new service.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
A union is urging support for TSA workforce reform in the defense policy bill
The American Federation of Government Employees also said they oppose a plan to delay the Defense Department’s return to one-year probationary periods for new employees.
- By Erich Wagner
IT Modernization
GAO will investigate the troubled TSP recordkeeper transition
Officials at the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program said nearly 2 million participants have successfully set up their new online account access, and call center wait times are down to around 10 minutes.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Senate Dems have joined the push to block a Schedule F revival
As Republican groups discuss plans to reinstitute the controversial plan to strip tens of thousands of federal workers of their civil service protections, congressional Democrats have renewed their efforts to block it.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Trump has endorsed a plan to purge the civil service of ‘rogue bureaucrats’
Former Trump staffers have said they have identified 50,000 federal employees who would be ousted under a new iteration of Schedule F during the next Republican administration.
- By Erich Wagner
Digital Government
TSP officials say they’re nearing ‘normalcy’ after a troublesome recordkeeper transition
Wait times on the customer service number for the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings plan are down from over two hours to 15 minutes on average.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
The House has cleared the way for Biden’s 4.6% pay raise plan
Lawmakers effectively endorsed the president’s pay raise proposal for federal workers Wednesday, although the Senate has yet to weigh in on the issue.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
Federal employee morale is falling, and one group thinks the Slow appointments process is to blame
The Veterans Affairs Department was the only large agency to improve on its 2020 score in the latest annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government report.
- By Erich Wagner
IT Modernization
TSP officials promise service will improve after a difficult transition to the new recordkeeping system
Staffing at the call center that serves participants of the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program has already increased 66%, with more on the way.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
House Oversight Committee advances legislation encouraging telework at agencies
The bill would improve training for managers, among other things.
- By Erich Wagner
Workforce
TSP participants bemoan bumpy recordkeeper transition
Federal employees and retirees have reported problems with setting up new accounts for online access to the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program, and the agency’s call center has been deluged.
- By Erich Wagner