Our exciting news this week is that the PMA National Board has selected a new Executive Director to lead our association now that Tom Burger has retired. I’m humbled to announce that it’s me! I will begin serving as PMA’s next ED starting on Monday. I am deeply grateful to Tom for his patience during our search and for his continued support of our association as the Board’s worked to transition the organization. Please be aware that our newsletter will no longer come from this email address. For now, expect to see messages from ed.promanager@gmail.com. While we work to relaunch our website and communications technologies, that will be the best way to be in touch with PMA in the near term.
Our National Vice President Jamie Collins will serve as our National President now that I’ll be working for you externally. We will share additional announcements next week after our board meeting.
PMA’s National Board is looking for members in Georgia who are willing to consider serving as chapter president. We’re also always happy to hear from members who’d like to found a local chapter in their area. Local chapters are active around the country and work with local executives, FEBs, and GLCs to promote the interests of management. Chapter presidents also attend national calls quarterly with the National Board. The time commitment is minimal and it’s a great way to improve conditions in your office! If you or someone you know is interested, please reply to our newsletter and we will connect you with resources to get started.
There’s never been a more important time to become a PMA member. Our voice is becoming louder and our leaders are listening. Through our consultative relationship with IRS HQ, we’ve worked to resolve questions, concerns, and inconsistencies around performance pay, leave administration, professional liability, retirement, safety, and leadership succession to name only a few. We are working diligently to strengthen our existing relationships throughout the IRS and to develop new relationships throughout government and with our sponsors so that we can grow our impact. We do all of this and more for a mere $3.50 per pay period – the best bargain I’ve seen in my career. I ask each of you to encourage your peers in the non-bargaining unit to consider signing up using the attached form. If you know a retiree who would benefit from our advocacy, we offer lifetime memberships to them for a one-time $100 payment. Membership also comes with many benefits such as discounted rates from our sponsors GEICO and FEDS Protection.
Our friends at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) are hosting webinars relating to the upcoming open season. Please click here to learn more! We are exploring ways to partner with NARFE to offer you additional benefits and we are so grateful to them for sharing this information.
On November 12, from 1-2PM Eastern, HCO is hosting a SABA session called “IRS Careers Website, Part B: Mapping Your Engagement Journey.” It will cover an overview of the IRS Careers website and the various resources contained within the site. The presentation will include a review of tools to identify a career path within the IRS and determine job qualifications for a higher-graded position, and information about the various IRS business units. Click here to register
Register for the 2020 Virtual Benefits Fair hosted by our friends at FedPoint! You can access this information throughout open season. Plus, representatives from all participating carriers will be available to take your questions during four live chat days – November 13 and 20, December 2 and 9. Click here for more information and see the attached communication from FedPoint.
The big news is the approval of limited excused absences for caregiving responsibilities for teleworking employees. PMA has been working hard all year with Treasury to get this important flexibility for our teams. While this doesn’t address the very real, very critical issues for those with non-portable work, we are grateful that it is a step in the right direction. PMA will continue its advocacy for those of you who are not eligible for this program. Click here to learn more
The IRS has approved performance awards for FY20 appraisals. Awards are projected to be issued for those rated on a 6850 (BU and NBU) in PP23 (pay date Nov 30). For those rated on a 12450, we expect those to be issued in PP24 (pay date Dec 14).
Federal Benefits Open Season begins on November 9 and runs through December 14. Attached, please find two pdf files showing the FY21 FEHB rates.
The 2020 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) and Supplemental Survey for seasonal employees began Tuesday, September 15, 2020 and will close on October 27, 2020. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed invitations to employees to take the survey. Please convey your support for the FEVS and encourage employees to take the survey. PMA serves on the IRS’s Leadership Engagement Action Group (or LEAP-G) and we use FEVS feedback to design useful tools to help you engage your teams. Read more
Please encourage your teams to take a moment to complete the Climate Pulse Survey each week here: Link to Survey. In the most recent data, we learned that employees are very anxious about the continued state of teleworking during the pandemic. Per the Commissioner’s message, we will remain home for the foreseeable future. We are very fortunate at IRS to be led by many telework-friendly executives! If you’re heading to the office, please be sure to wear an appropriate face covering. As a reminder, face coverings with a exhalation valve or those with a hole for using a straw are unacceptable as they fail to adequately protect those around you.
PMA has been very busy on the Hill recently. We’ve worked closely with Sen. Van Hollen on his Protecting Employees from Surprise Taxes Act (PEST). This would make the OASDI withholding holiday optional for all employees (including us).
We are in the process of responding to the recent Executive Order which would reclassify some civil servants resulting in their employment being subject to political influence. PMA staunchly supports the protections afforded to the Civil Service under the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. The Act mandates that we serve in our roles based upon merit, not political patronage. This reclassification, scheduled to take effect the day before the next inauguration, is a deeply shocking intervention into our apolitical, career appointments. Read more
We also have meetings next week with the House and Senate to discuss the IRS’s need for appropriate funding and how the Congress’s failure to invest in the Service has eroded our ability to manage effectively, provide top quality service, and impedes our ability to enforce tax laws fairly. We spoke last week with the House regarding our need to modernize and we were pleased to hear from some legislators that they were beginning to understand the critical need we face.
PMA continues to press for a stable appropriation through September 2021, as well as a 3% federal pay increase for civilians.
