Thousands of employees of land management agencies have served their country for 5, 10, 20, or more seasons under a string of temporary appointments -- with no benefits, retirement, or hope of career advancement. Many employees are trapped in this 2nd class status. This has huge negative effects on morale and efficiency. We are working for reforms to:
This will be a long, hard battle. The economy is in bad shape and the federal budget is deeply in the red. But it is a simple matter of justice: the government should not treat its employees worse than Wal-Mart does! See What Can I Do? for how to get involved.
June 30, 2010: Congressional hearing held: "Temporary Employee Practices: How Long Does Temporary Last?" NFFE flew in two 30-year "temporary" employees for the hearing. We thank them for their willingness to share their stories and put a human face on this issue. At the conclusion of the hearing, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia Chair Stephen Lynch committed to working with NFFE to address inappropriate uses of the temporary employment authority. For more information see:
June 25, 2010: Update on upcoming Congressional hearing, "Temporary Employee Practices: How Long Does Temporary Last?" Our advocacy efforts on the Hill have put this issue on the Congressional agenda.
May 10, 2010: Congressional White Paper, Unfinished Business: Temporary Hiring Reform is released. Union representatives will meet with over 100 Congressional offices and Executive Branch officials during Legislative Week, May 10-14, and continue to advocate for reform in the weeks and months to come.
March 1, 2010: An agency initiative that would have caused a purge hundreds of temporary seasonal employees is halted. The union's position is that a pathway to permanence for our long-term temporary employees must be part of a transition to a permanent seasonal workforce. See Re-instatement of 1039 Positions for more information.
January 6, 2010: Results from our employee survey on temporary hiring practices are released. The Washington Post picked up the story.
September 27 - November 22, 2009: In response to Congressional inquiries for more data, an employee survey on temporary hiring practices is conducted.
May 11, 2009: 2010 Congressional Brief, Stop Temporary Hiring Abuse, is distributed and discussed in meetings with over 100 Congressional offices. They were receptive but wanted more information.
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