News
COVID BILL CONTAINS PAID LEAVE FOR FEDS
Federal employees suffering from COVID-19 or caring for an individual affected by the virus may be eligible for up to an additional 600 hours of paid family medical leave, under a provision in the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. According to FedSmith.com (read the article here), the legislation included $570 million in… Read More
MURISON TRAINING IS VOLUNTARY
This week, DoDEA issued a memo acknowledging that the Murison training provided to certain special education educators in the Overseas bargaining unit is voluntary, not mandatory, as the educators had initially been told. When the Murision training was first proposed by DoDEA, management told the association the training would be voluntary. However, when information on… Read More
GOOD NEWS ON OVERSEAS CONTRACT
March 5, 2021 The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Friday ordered federal agencies to renegotiate provisions of union contracts that contradict President Biden's Executive Order rescinding a number of anti-union, anti-employee directives from the previous administration. In the case of contracts that are still being negotiated, such as the one for FEA's Overseas bargaining… Read More
AMENDMENT PASSES, ESP POST FILLED
FEA members have voted to amend the Association's Constitution, creating and filling the post of Education Support Professional (ESP) Coordinator on the FEA Board of Directors. Teresa Brown, an ESP member at Camp Lejeune, was elected to fill the ESP Coordinator post. Her term begins May 1, 2021. The full election report can be found… Read More
RAT GRIEVANCE FILED
An Association Grievance over the issue of delayed Renewal Agreement Travel (RAT) from summer 2020 is progressing. At issue is whether Overseas employees on a two-year agreement who were eligible for RAT last summer but delayed their RAT due to numerous factors, including COVID and other travel restrictions, must begin a new two-year cycle if… Read More
HATCH ACT DO’S AND DON’TS
Advice for FEA Members on Political Activities and the Hatch Act The "Hatch Act" is the law that defines what Congress allows federal employees to do (or not to do) in regards to elections and political activities. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is the government agency that implements the regulations and enforces the Hatch… Read More
REPAYMENT OF DEFERRED 2020 SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES
Social Security taxes that were deferred from federal employees' pay over the last third of 2020 will now be collected in installments between pay periods ending January 16 and December 4, 2021. For employees who separate or retire prior to the deferred 2020 Social Security tax being collected in full, the unpaid balance will either… Read More
DFAS NOTICE ON COLLECTION OF DEFERRED SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES
The following information related to collection of deferred Social Security taxes was released December 18 by DFAS. Please read below to find information about your situation and consult with a tax/finance professional if you need guidance on how this announcement will impact your pay. At the end of December, the 2020 Social Security tax deferral… Read More
OVERSEAS BARGAINING UPDATE #11
December 17, 2020 As we head into the winter break, the outcome of negotiations on a new Overseas contract remains up in the air. Following 30 days of renegotiations, which began after FEA Overseas members overwhelmingly voted in October to reject the tentative agreement, the two sides remain divided on many contract issues. DoDEA is… Read More
INTERESTED IN SERVING AS FEA HCR Coordinator?
The current FEA State Human and Civil Rights (HCR) Coordinator has indicated she will be stepping down from her position. Under the FEA Constitution, the FEA Board of Directors is tasked with appointing a replacement to complete the current term for the HCR Coordinator, which will end on August 1, 2022. Any FEA Active member… Read More