Author Archive

Phil Piemonte

Explore the latest federal employee news and get perspective on the sometimes funny, sometimes crazy, world of federal employment. The "Gov Career" blog is written for those in public service by Phil Piemonte, editor of Federal Employees News Digest.

How the Vegas conference fiasco could spell disaster for feds

The General Services Administration conference debacle comes at a time when feds' pay and benefits are under attack, and the last thing feds need is for the public to associate federal employees with wasteful bureaucrats.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Are some of the issues that plague DHS creeping your way?

Lawmakers this month examined the reasons behind low morale at the Department of Homeland Security. But some of the most persistent issues dogging DHS may sound familiar to feds no matter where they work.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Those in the trenches say: Cut from the top

Amid lawmakers’ call to downsize the federal workforce, many commenters to this blog regularly call for chopping from the top. And they are not the only ones.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Worried about the bills?

No, not those; we mean the legislative kind. The ones that target the federal workforce.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Whoa, what a week!

Trying to boil down readers’ reactions to the recent spate of legislation calling for pay freeze extensions and cutbacks on federal retirement benefits might be best expressed by a quote frequently uttered by Popeye the Sailor (right before he blew his top) …

  • By Phil Piemonte

Congress targets its retirement benefits--or maybe not

A half dozen or so members of the House are looking at ways to cut their own retireement benefits. Or are they?

  • By Phil Piemonte

People like feds ... really

Some lawmakers in Washington have fueled some pretty negative characterizations of the federal workforce. But how many Americans really share their views?

  • By Phil Piemonte

Next on TSA's agenda: Exploding cupcakes

Pity the Transportation Security Administration, having to devote time and effort (paid for, as some would be sure to point out, with taxpayer dollars) to defend a recent decision to forbid a cupcake from being taken past an airport screening check point.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Just how much is the pay freeze costing you?

Here's a handy calculator to count the cost.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Will 2012 be the year feds flex their political muscles?

Feds spent most of 2011 worrying over their jobs, pay and benefits. But perhaps they can do something to make 2012 different ...

  • By Phil Piemonte

Retirement—is it time to run for the hills?

For years, those who watch the federal government have predicted that a “retirement tsunami” would hit the federal workplace when the Baby Boomers started to reach retirement age. Don't look now, but ...

  • By Phil Piemonte
Featured eBooks

Is your pay a matter of public record?

Your boss’s probably is, too.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Turning the tables on Congress

Take note: One publication has taken aim at a new group of federal “employees”—members of Congress.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Cutting back on vets

Veterans Day might be a good time for budget-cutting lawmakers to note the significant presence of vets in the federal workforce.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Slash congressional salaries!

Federal Daily readers love to rant that members of Congress should start with cuts to their own salary before touching agency budgets, and one Virginia representative has a plan related to that sentiment.

  • By Phil Piemonte

About those sleepy feds ...

News that the Census Bureau asked employees to stop napping in public areas probably made most readers yawn.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Pay and benefits: It's right there in black and white

The general press sure gets a lot of mileage out of federal pay and benefits.

  • By Phil Piemonte

How gung ho are your co-workers?

Almost all feds agree with this statement: “When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort to get things done.” But how does it play out in practice?

  • By Phil Piemonte

You knew it all along: Compared to contractors, feds are a bargain

Most of you won't be surprised at this, but in general it costs the federal government a whole lot more to hire contractors than to pay federal employees to do the same jobs.

  • By Phil Piemonte

Ruminating on 9/11

Ten years ago, a Marine officer found himself booked for two meetings that took place at the same time -- and made a fateful decision.

  • By Phil Piemonte