Federal Daily - April 1, 2009

DHS Launches Effort to Save Money, Consolidate Training

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week announced the launch of a new efficiency review initiative it said will help save money, consolidate employee training, eliminate non-critical travel and reduce the time it takes to vet new employees. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the initiative at a briefing at the Transportation Security Administration’s Systems Integration Facility at Reagan Washington National Airport. The effort will review a broad range of department activities, including acquisition management, asset management, real property management, employee vetting, hiring and information technology, Napolitano said. For example, within next 30 days, DHS plans to eliminate non-mission-critical travel for employees, and instead maximize the use of the conference calls and Web-based trainings, she said. Within the next two months, DHS plans to install a new procedure aimed at eliminating clearly unqualified candidates earlier in the hiring process. Napolitano said DHS now wastes too much time and money doing background checks on candidates who are obviously unqualified from the start. “In the future, we are going to make it easier to identify potential disqualifying factors early on in the process,” she said. “This will reduce the number of overall background checks and the time it takes to bring cleared personnel on board.” Within the next six months, DHS also plans to initiate a process to improve new-employee orientation and annual mandatory training, she said. As governor of Arizona, Napolitano oversaw a similar initiative to improve government efficiency. To see more, go to: www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1238172270388.shtm.

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APWU Applauds Bill to Limit Privatization of Postal Operations

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) applauded the introduction of a measure that would—if signed into law—restrict how much work the United States Postal Service (USPS) could assign to private subcontractors. The bill, the Mail Protection Act (H.R. 1686), was introduced March 24 by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., and is modeled on a similar measure he offered in 2007. The bill would require USPS to bargain with postal unions before engaging in significant subcontracting and would require USPS to submit to arbitration if management and the affected unions are unable to reach agreement. It would apply to any private contract involving mail processing, mail handling or surface transportation of mail, provided that the annual cost of the contract is the equivalent of $5 million or 50 work-years. “The requirement to bargain will enhance our ability to oppose wasteful, inefficient and detrimental subcontracting,” said APWU President William Burrus. “Too often, contracting out ends up costing the Postal Service more money than if the work were performed by postal employees, and contractors’ service to the public is poor.” In a statement, Burrus urged postal workers to contact their representatives and ask them to support it. To see more, go to: www.apwu.org/news/webart/2009/09-034-hr1686-090330.htm.

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Bill Would Streamline Federal Hiring Process

Senators on March 30 introduced a bipartisan bill that would, if passed into law, streamline the federal recruitment and hiring process and help agencies attract federal employees. The bill, the Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act, introduced by Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, seeks to address gaps in the federal hiring system. The bill would require agencies to abandon “knowledge, skills, and abilities” essays (KSAs) for those applying for open federal positions in favor of a simple resume and cover letter. The bill also would force agencies to post clear job announcements written in plain language, and to develop strategic workforce plans and hiring projections. Under the bill, prospective employees would receive timely notice on the status of their applications and would be guaranteed that federal managers would take no more than 80 days to fill a vacancy. The senators pointed out that the bill is the result of a 2008 subcommittee hearing during which witnesses testified about problems with federal hiring—such as passive recruitment strategies and unclear job vacancy announcements. “It is time to convey to the thousands of men and women at all stages of their career looking for work that the federal government is more than just an employer,” Voinovich said, “but a place where Americans can utilize and grow their skills in service to their nation." To see more, go to: http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=
PressReleases.Home&month=3&year=2009&release_id=2608.  

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