10/8/09: The Defense Authorization conference report released yesterday retains several important NTEU-sought provisions that will benefit federal employees and retirees, including language allowing workers under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to get credit for unused sick leave.

NTEU led a lengthy fight to build congressional support for this provision permitting FERS employees to count sick leave toward their retirement calculation, a right employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) already have. It will be phased in over four years with a 50 percent credit through Dec. 31, 2013, and a 100 percent credit beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

The report also corrects an anomaly in the CSRS which penalizes federal employees who choose part-time work toward the end of their career by not calculating their pension correctly. CSRS employees will now be able to receive proper credit for their previous full-time work.

In another victory for federal employees, the conference report allows FERS employees who return to federal service to redeposit their retirement contributions and receive credit for prior years of service. It would also convert the non-foreign cost-of-living adjustment system to a locality pay system over several years.

Finally, the report repeals the authority for the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), a personnel system proposed by the previous administration that sought to undermine the collective bargaining and due process rights of Department of Defense employees. As long as NSPS was in place, there was a danger that similar regressive practices could be adopted government-wide. NTEU waged a successful legal and legislative battle against efforts to impose similar rules on employees of the Department of Homeland Security.

NTEU appreciates the hard work of many congressional supporters in ensuring that these key provisions made it into the final conference report. Among them are House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.); Reps. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) and James Moran (D-Va.); as well as Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii).

The report now goes to the House and Senate for a final vote, but Congress is expected to approve it.