Federal Daily - September 8, 2008
IRS Exceeds Goal of Hiring 1,000 Military Veterans
The IRS on Sept. 4 announced that it has exceeded its goal of hiring at least 1,000 military veterans
this fiscal year. The effort, Veteran Hiring, Employment and Recruitment Opportunities (V-HERO), attracted
1,052 military vets into the IRS workforce in Fiscal Year 2008, which ends Sept. 30, the agency said
in a statement. V-HERO recruits vets and transitioning military personnel via a partnership with veterans
organizations such as the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign
Wars and the Blinded Veterans of America—as well as other government agencies “The men
and women who served America in the military are highly capable and trained individuals ready to supply
valuable skills needed by the IRS, or any employer for that matter,” said IRS Commissioner Doug
Shulman. The IRS also is participating in DoD’s Operation War Fighter Program and the Department
of Veterans Affairs’ Coming Home to Work initiatives. Those programs also provide job opportunities
for vets and transitioning military personnel. To see more, go to: www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=186427,00.html.
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APWU Urges Workers to Turn Down VER Offer
American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President William Burrus again is urging U.S. Postal Service
(USPS) workers to reject a Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) deal after word broke that USPS soon will
expand the offer to Motor Vehicle Services and Maintenance Craft employees. Burrus said that until
USPS considers cash incentives for VER, there is no reason union members should take early retirement
on the offer. “Every APWU-represented employee who leaves early will save the USPS hundreds of
thousands of dollars, yet the Postal Service is refusing to offer cash incentives,” Burrus said.
However, “each employee who opts for the early-out will suffer a life-long reduced annuity,” Burrus
said. “Eligible employees should be offered a cash incentive to cushion the shock.” The
initial VER offer—to 57,000 Clerks, Mail Handlers, and supervisory employees—was announced
in July. On Aug. 29, USPS announced that it had received approval to offer additional early-outs, Burrus
said. “The opportunity to retire early may be tempting,” said the union leader, “but
it is not being offered for the employee’s benefit: It is intended to improve the financial condition
of the Postal Service.” To see more, go to: http://apwu.org/news/webart/2008/0880-vera_mnt_mvs-080904.htm.
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New National Personnel Records Center Slated for St. Louis
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) announced plans on Sept. 4 for construction
of a new national personnel records center in St. Louis, Mo. The built-to-lease facility will open
in March 2010 and will replace the 1950s-era Military Personnel Records Center and a portion of the
Civilian Personnel Records Center, which are both in St. Louis. The new facility will be part of the
NARA’s Federal Records Center Program, which contains 56 million personnel files of 20th Century
military service veterans, and 25 million federal civilian personnel files dating from the early 20th
Century to the 1970s. All of these files are designated as permanent, historic records. In addition
to records storage, the new facility will contain public research rooms, an archival preservation lab,
public meeting rooms and staff offices. “The new facility is specially designed for the storage
of and access to archival records,” said Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein. About
600 National Archives staff will work at the new building; most will transfer from the two old centers.
To see more, go to: www.archives.gov.
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