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2025 COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)

October 15th, 2024 | Posted by admin in Benefits | COLA | News | Political - (0 Comments)

Most Feds to Receive Diet COLA – Again – in 2025

October 15, 2024

The 2025 cost of living adjustment (COLA) was announced last week, and most federal workers will again receive a reduced COLA due to a flawed rule in the current law.

For 2025, Social Security beneficiaries and Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees are expected to receive a 2.5% COLA, while Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirees, those hired in 1984 or later, will only get a 2% increase.

Under the current law, the COLAs for Social Security, CSRS, and FERS are all calculated based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If CPI is 2% or less, the FERS COLA is the same as the CSRS and Social Security COLA. But if the CPI is between 2.01% and 3%, the FERS COLA is 2%. If the CPI is greater than 3%, then the COLA for FERS is 1% less than the CSRS COLA.

What does that mean for a FERS retiree? It means they will lose $128 a year just for 2025, assuming the same average pension. But for those who retired four years ago with the same average pension, their pension would have lost more than $1,000 to rising costs because the losses are compounded.

This unfair penalty places FERS retirees further away from keeping pace with the cost of living.

That’s why AFGE supports the Equal COLA Act (S. 3194 introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla and H.R. 866 introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly) which would eliminate this unfair penalty for FERS Retirees. The legislation would also eliminate the arbitrary pension cost of living reduction federal employees face in high inflation years.

“Our nation’s public servants shouldn’t see their hard-earned retirement benefits eroded by a COLA set at the start to be arbitrarily lower the real inflation rate,” said AFGE Legislative Director Julie Tippens.

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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal emp



Dear AFGE Activist,

We’re three weeks away from Election Day!Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to cast your vote this November and connect with your friends, family, union siblings and neighbors to ensure they are prepared to participate in the democratic process.

Knowing your status is an important step in making your voice heard in local and national elections. You can find more information about your state’s voting laws and deadlines through Ballot Ready.

And don’t forget, early voting has already started in some states. Click here to find the early voting schedule in your state.

Let’s make sure we’re well prepared this election cycle to cast our votes!

In Solidarity,
AFGE

AFGE Day of Action!

October 8th, 2024 | Posted by admin in ELECTIONS | Local 1395 | Political | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

AFGE Election Results 2024

October 7th, 2024 | Posted by admin in ELECTIONS | News | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Convention & Caucus Elections

National Election Results

National President:  Everett Kelley

National Secretary Treasurer:  Eric Bunn Sr

NVP for Women & Fair Practices:  Kendrick Roberson

AFGE Council 109 Election Results

President: Beverly Parks

Executive Vice President: Cheryl Bellamy-Bonner

 First Vice President: Cynthia Marshall Johns

Second Vice President: Yvette Wilson

Treasurer:  Bruce Friedman

Secretary: Regane Nicholson

AFGE Council 215 Election Results

President: Ricard Couture

Executive Vice President April Lott

Treasurer: Brandon Epps

Secretary: Gregory Senden

AFGE Council 220 Election Results

President: Jessica LaPointe

Executive Vice President: Angela Digeronimo

1st Vice President: Edwin Osorio

2nd Vice President: Amad Ali

3rd Vice President: Mark Rogers

Teleservice Center Vice President: Shonda Johnson

Secretary: Monique Buchanan

Treasurer: Jennifer Kirkham

SHOW ME THE MONEY $$$

October 5th, 2024 | Posted by admin in JOIN AFGE | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Coming Soon

Recruit a New Member & Collect

Stay Tuned

In just four weeks we are facing another potential government shutdown. AFGE/SSA have updated the Government Shutdown agreement. The full agreement is attached.

Here are a few highlights from the agreement:

7. Unless authorized by law, employees are prohibited from providing
voluntary services to the Agency during a furlough.

  1. The Agency will continue to provide the full Agency contribution to
    health benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program for
    employees affected by a furlough consistent with Statute and
    Government-wide regulations.
  2. The Parties acknowledge that the amount of income taxes withheld from
    employees’ biweekly earnings will be adjusted to reflect the reduction in
    earnings that results from the furlough. Where employees request changes
    to withholdings/deductions, the employer will make reasonable efforts to
    process such changes in an expeditious manner.

Are SSA Employees the Problem?

October 20th, 2023 | Posted by admin in Budget | Did you know? | STAFF - (0 Comments)

Is SSA underfunded?

Is that the reason SSA is understaffed and undertrained?

Are current employee the problem?

Do they want to blame employees for the failure to train employees and/or provide resources.

CONGRESS WANTS ANSWERS ABOUT OVERPAYMENTS:

https://www.govexec.com/management/2023/10/under-fire-social-security-chief-vows-top-bottom-review-payment-clawbacks/391346/

PASS A BUDGET

October 20th, 2023 | Posted by admin in Budget | Did you know? | Political | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

The Continuing Resolution for the Federal Budget expires November 17, 2023. One week before Thanksgiving puting payroll in jeopardy starting December 8th as you prepare for Holidays.
Call your representative at 855-222-9093 and tell then the federal government needs a budget that funds SSA, Your friends and family can also call.

Proposed Telework Updates

October 16th, 2023 | Posted by admin in News | TeleWork | Uncategorized | Vote - (0 Comments)

A bipartisan pair of senators on Thursday proposed legislation that would codify federal employees’ use of remote work in federal law, as well as establish stronger reporting and training requirements for telework and authorize the noncompetitive hiring of military and law enforcement spouses into remote work positions.

The Telework Reform Act (S. 3015), introduced by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., codifies the Office of Personnel Management’s administratively determined definitions of telework and remote work—including the requirement that teleworkers commute to their traditional worksite at least twice per pay period—and institutes a barrage of new reporting requirements for agencies.

See Full Article on Government Executive:

Senate bill would codify remote work, increase telework reporting – Government Executive (govexec.com)