NFFE Newsroom

Yesterday, National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) President Randy Erwin sent a letter to the Labor Relations Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with comments for the agency’s draft regulation on its Anti-Harassment Program. The letter urges USDA to include the union’s comments on the draft regulation, which aim to ensure that harassment reports are properly addressed and do not result in retaliation.

Do you have student loans? You may be eligible for thousands of dollars in loan forgiveness as a federal employee through the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Join the webinar on September 29 for more info.

Today, NFFE President Randy Erwin sent a letter to the Senate, urging lawmakers to introduce the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act:

Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack responded to NFFE’s correspondence on necessary reforms for federal wildland firefighters. This summer, NFFE National President Randy Erwin sent four separate letters to Secretary Vilsack, emphasizing issues with firefighter pay, their occupational series, and housing for Forest Service employees.

Yesterday, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released updated guidance regarding COVID policies for federal employees. Effective as of Monday, there are three actions agencies are directed to take by Monday, August 22 to align workplace policies with updated CDC guidance.

Two NFFE family members, Kaden Braaflat and Makayla Wiltse, have been awarded scholarships from the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) as they head to college this Fall. The scholarship program is available to NFFE members as part of their union membership.

The Free College program is continuing for new and existing students who enrolled on or before July 18, 2022. Registration is currently suspended for future terms. 

Last month, the House of Representatives passed its fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with several NFFE priorities for federal employees. The legislation includes many wins regarding pay, benefits, and workplace policies affecting workers at the Department of Defense and defense-adjacent agencies.

Reminder: Until Oct. 31, 2022, federal student loan borrowers can get credit for payments that previously didn’t qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF).

Yesterday, the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act (S. 129) passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) under unanimous consent without amendments. The bill, which passed in the House 417 to 0 in July, will likely head to the Senate floor this Fall.