OPM Disability Retirement Basics There are four types of retirement for federal employees: early, voluntary, deferred, and disability. If you are a civilian employee of the federal government, your retirement benefits are provided by either the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement Service (CSRS).* Regardless of which office provides your disability benefits, the Office of...
Continue ReadingWhat Is Retaliation? In the context of a federal workplace, and as defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEO retaliation is when an employer punishes, penalizes, or retaliates against an employee who participates in a EEO protected activity, such as participating in an EEO process or “reasonably opposing conduct made unlawful by an EEO law.” Retaliation is...
Continue ReadingSovereign Immunity & the FTCA Just as an employee of a private company can bring a lawsuit against their employer (such as in cases where they are injured in the workplace or are the victim of workplace discrimination), so, too, can a federal employee. However, the process by which a federal employee can sue the federal government is a...
Continue ReadingWhat Is the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)? Established in 1978 as part of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is housed in the Executive branch of the government and is “an independent, quasi-judicial agency” and is considered the “guardian of Federal merit systems.” In this context, a merit...
Continue ReadingPines Federal helps AFGE Local 4060 settle grievance with FEMA: the Class Action Implementation Group (CAIG) will distribute the $16,500,000 settlement to eligible employees – past and present. In March of 2018, American Federation of Government Employees 4060 (AFGE 4060) filed a grievance against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on behalf of federal union employees. According to the grievance,...
Continue ReadingAn honest day’s work deserves an honest day’s pay, and anything less is wrong—plain and simple. Recently, a restaurant owner in Austin, Texas failed to pay his employees after his business closed unexpectedly. According to KVUE, an ABC affiliate in Austin, an ex-employee who was the event coordinator and floor manager for Simi Estiatorio, a now-closed local restaurant, claims...
Continue ReadingRecently, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of federal employees who failed to receive hazardous duty pay and hazard overtime pay after working on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Government Executive, the lawsuit had been in legal limbo since March 2020 because a federal appeals court was considering a similar lawsuit. Qualifying for the...
Continue ReadingEric Pines, an attorney with Pines & Goldenzweig, PLLC, will demonstrate his toughness in the hockey arena in May when he plays in the Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society (RCCS)Hockey Classic to raise money for cancer research. Contributing to cancer research is a central part of our firm’s commitment to community service. We encourage you to help us support RCCS...
Continue ReadingAs Dick Vitale might say, “The Board is Back, Baby!” After nearly five years in an unprecedented holding pattern, the Senate has (finally!) approved two nominees to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) – the quasi-judicial agency tasked with enforcing merit systems principles and federal employee protections against discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, workplace favoritism and other prohibited personnel actions. New...
Continue ReadingThe COVID-19 pandemic has completely shifted the workplace for employees across the country. Federal employees are required to take the COVID-19 vaccination to stop the spread of the virus. However, there are a few exceptions for employees with certain religious beliefs and disabilities. Our federal employment law attorneys explain what requirements are needed for a disabled employee to be...
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