FELTG’s monthly newsletter – always free – provides timely, engaging, and useful content. Plus, the weekly FELTG News Flash delivers the latest on workplace developments, important case decisions, interviews with Federal leaders, and critical guidance. And, we answer your questions in our popular Ask FELTG series.
By Deborah J. Hopkins, November 5, 2024 Quick facts: In excessive absence cases, the MSPB now only considers absences beyond the date the agency warns the employee to return to work. The Board did not instruct agencies how much absence post-warning would meet the “excessive” standard. In a new MSPB …
By Deborah J. Hopkins, October 29, 2024 Quick facts: A CBP officer intentionally exposed his penis to the complainant. The agency found the complainant was subjected to a hostile work environment based on that and other incidents. Additional legal research shows the agency removed the harasser for his misconduct. No …
October 22, 2024 There are 14 days left until the Presidential election. As we tick closer to Election Day, we continue to receive Hatch Act-related questions via our Ask FELTG feature. The most recent question: Is there an issue if an employee’s bumper sticker, on a personal vehicle, said “Let’s …
By Deborah J. Hopkins, October 15, 2024 Quick facts: An employee pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sex offense for “unconsented sexual contact” with a minor, and second-degree assault). The ensuing publicity identified him as a NOAA employee, and the agency removed him based on two specifications of Conduct Unbecoming a …
By Ann Modlin, October 15, 2024 Quick facts: We are often asked by FELTG customers: Who should do the Douglas factor analysis? We recommend the proposing official cover all 12 factors in the worksheet and attach it to the proposed discipline. The deciding official should review the proposing official’s Douglas …
By Dan Gephart, October 15, 2024 Quick facts: An air traffic control specialist and an agency operations supervisor entered a consensual sexual relationship. The specialist alleged sexual harassment and discrimination on the bases of sex (female) and reprisal for prior protected EEO activity. An EEOC AJ specifically noted the supervisors’ …
By Frank Ferreri, October 15, 2024 Quick facts: A mail carrier had a string of injuries over several years that resulted in workers’ compensation coverage and absences from the job. The carrier’s supervisor repeatedly misclassified her time off and allegedly made derogatory remarks about her disability being a “lifestyle.” Due …
October 8, 2024 We received the following via Ask FELTG: Dear FELTG: If our agency has an employee who is a witness in an MSPB case but needs privacy because of an abusive ex-partner who no longer knows where our employee lives or works, would the MSPB consider granting the …
October 1, 2025 Since we started answering your questions through Ask FELTG, we’ve received dozens on the topic of probationary periods. And that includes today’s question: I’m confused. How is it possible for an employee who is separated during their probationary period to have appeal rights? And the FELTG answer: …
By Deborah J. Hopkins, September 24, 2024 We have been discussing indefinite suspensions in a series of articles over the past few months. As a reminder, an agency may indefinitely suspend an employee in three instances: 1. The agency has reasonable cause to believe an employee has committed a crime for …
By Dan Gephart, September 17, 2024 Televised debates and annoying political advertisements can only mean one thing: It’s election season again, and the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act Unit is busier than the restaurant kitchen in TV’s fictional The Bear. In recent years, the most-common Hatch Act violations have …
By Deborah J. Hopkins, September 10, 2024 Quick facts: A law enforcement officer was removed after the agency learned he bit his wife during an off-duty physical altercation at their home. The appellant was not truthful when questioned about the altercation and claimed his wife bit herself. The administrative judge …
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