Ever the optimist, John Berry didn't seem fazed by the dreary skies, the steady drizzle, the muddy paths and the swampy grass. Resplendent in bright-green athletic shoes, the Office of Personnel Management director braved the weather with fellow federal workers to gather on the Mall at lunchtime Tuesday in the name of physical fitness. "Who said federal employees aren't tough?" he ...

Add fuzzy math to the list of problems plaguing BP. The British oil giant promised a government agency in 2008 that it could handle an oil spill 10 times the size of the disaster currently wreaking havoc in the Gulf of Mexico, according to documents. In BP's worst-case scenario presented to the Minerals Management Service, it listed a well roughly 60 ...

After strong debate from both sides of the aisle, the Senate on Thursday rejected a legislative provision that would have frozen federal pay and the size of the government workforce. The chamber voted 57-41 to let stand a budgetary point of order against a GOP alternative amendment to the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. The point of order essentially ...

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment. The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what ...

Civilian agencies might soon be required to set aside a percentage of funds from multiple-award, multiagency contracting vehicles for small businesses. The provision, included in the 2010 Small Business Contracting Improvements Act introduced by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, on Thursday, would require agencies to reserve for small firms a yet undetermined portion of orders placed against federal ...

SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) - A man running for office in Ohio has put a Halloween display in his yard that includes tombstones bearing the names of his political opponents. Royal Barber of Sylvania Township near Toledo said it's all in good fun. Some of his opponents don't think so. One asked that his name be taken off the tombstone. Barber agreed, ...

The lack of permanent leadership at the Transportation Security Administration is delaying action on several agency personnel issues, union leaders and other observers said on Wednesday. "TSA has a number of issues that continue to contribute to its high attrition rate and low workforce morale," said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, in a statement. "Many of these ...

As Congress returns from a not-so-relaxing August recess, health care reform tops the legislative to-do list. But lawmakers also face several pieces of legislation affecting the federal workforce, which were left unresolved at the end of July. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday will consider H.R. 1881, a bill that would eliminate the Transportation Security Administration's special pay ...

In early May, President Obama released a long-anticipated hiring reform memorandum, replacing a requirement that federal job applicants respond to essay questions with a resume-based approach more in line with private sector practices. The memo also outlined new responsibilities for managers and supervisors, requiring them to get more involved in the hiring process. The job of making sure the hiring reform ...

WASHINGTON, DC - The recession has directly hit more than half of the nation's working adults, pushing them into unemployment, pay cuts, reduced hours at work or part-time jobs, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. The economic shock has jolted many Americans into a new, more austere reality, which is likely to have lasting consequences for an economy fueled ...

Eliminating Saturday mail delivery could save the U.S. Postal Service $5.1 billion annually by 2020, most of which would come from lower personnel costs, agency officials said on Monday. In the face of declining mail volume and a 10-year, $238 billion budget deficit, the Postal Service is proposing to reduce mail delivery days from six to five. The move would eliminate ...

Rep. Gerry Connolly wants to make sure the 2,000 or so Transportation workers who were furloughed last week get paid. The Virginia Democrat introduced a bill Tuesday and the House passed it this morning to pay the employees for the two days they were off due to the lapse in the Highway Trust Fund legislation. President Obama signed into law a ...

WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate fell to 10 percent in November as employers cut the smallest number of jobs since the recession began. The Labor Department says the economy shed 11,000 jobs last month, an improvement from October's revised total of 111,000. That's also much better than the 130,000 Wall Street economists expected. But the respite may be temporary, as many ...

AUSTIN — Like the other contestants on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Tom DeLay hopes he wowed the judges this week with his cha-chas across the stage with professional dancing partner Cheryl Burke. But the former U.S. House majority leader may be more concerned about the opinions of black-robed judges back in his home state as he continues to battle ...

Multiple indicators pointed to improvement in the job market, but recovery continues to come at a slow pace. Private-sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 55,000 last month, according to a national employment report published by payroll giant Automatic Data Processing Inc. and consultancy Macroeconomic Advisers. Separately, the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week ...

NEW YORK - Home building rose in April, government figures showed on Tuesday, as activity was possibly spurred by an $8,000 government tax credit for new buyers. But the data suggested that builders might also be slowing down their future construction plans. The Commerce Department said work started on 672,000 homes in April, up 5.8 percent from March. It was the ...

Salt Lake City has become the first Utah city to offer housing and employment protections for gays and lesbians — an action supported by the Mormon Church. The City Council, in a unanimous vote Tuesday, passed a pair of nondiscrimination ordinances that would bar landlords and employers from discriminating based on sexuality — a protection not currently afforded under state or ...

Six months after he fired their predecessors, President Obama has appointed new members to the panel responsible for resolving bargaining disputes between federal employee unions and agencies. Those appointments to the Federal Service Impasses Panel complete the new team at the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which includes the panel. Agency and union officials said they hope the agency will be able ...

Michigan state government operations are being prepared for a partial shutdown Thursday -- one that almost everyone in Lansing agrees will not take place. Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, declined Monday to discuss plans for shutting down operations if the governor and Legislature haven't reached an agreement by midnight Wednesday on spending for the budget year that begins Oct. ...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats are muscling through a deficit-swelling spending bill, giving domestic programs their third major boost this year and awarding lawmakers with more than 5,000 home-state projects. The House voted 221-202 Thursday to pass the 1,088-page, $1.1 trillion measure _ combining $447 billion in operating budgets with about $650 billion in payments for federal benefit programs such as Medicare ...