Human Resources

Join the Corps in the Big Easy

Make History in New Orleans-Make a Difference for America is the catch phase being used in a campaign kicked off today to encourage Corps of Engineers employees to check out Corps job opportunities in New Orleans. 

Because the area is rebounding after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Corps is working hard on its reconstruction program to help the area return to its traditional, fun, family-friendly way of life.  Task Force Hope, Hurricane Protection Office and the New Orleans District through its Protection Restoration Office are seeking people with talent, ability, vision and dedication. 

In the new brochure and poster, employees are encouraged to check out career options in a city that is often called the Jewel of the south, the Big Easy and the Crescent City. The brochure promotes New Orleans as one of the most beautiful and interesting places in America, renowned for its unique culture and cuisine and the home of the Mardi Gras and the French Quarter.

However, the city offers a lot more for those Corps employees who want to make a difference.

In one of the largest public works project in American history, the Corps is restoring, repairing and improving the hurricane protection system of southeast Louisiana noted Commander and Chief of Engineers Ltg. Carl Strock. In encouraging staff to come to New Orleans Ltg. Strock said, “I can’t promise you fame or glory, but I can guarantee you the satisfaction of being part of something bigger than yourself-of truly making a difference.”

And while helping to rebuild New Orleans, potential employees will have the opportunity for promotion and eligibility for higher-level positions throughout the Corps, and “return rights” for the position they left. 

Interested employees should call (504) 862-2800 or visit www.mvn.usace.army.mil www.cpol.army.mil or www.usajobs.gov

2007 Open Season

The 2007 Open Season for the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits program (FEHB), Federal Employees’ Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), and Flexible Spending Accounts for Federal Employees (FSAFEDS) is 13 November 2004 thru 11 December 2006. Visit the OPM Insurance Programs page for more details http://www.opm.gov/insure/. Information on these programs and the open season is also available on our Benefits page and in the November 2006 newsletter.
Important note: Enrollment in FEDVIP does NOT take place directly with an insurance plan. The Office of Personnel Manager (OPM) issued the following message so employees will be aware of exactly which supplemental dental/vision insurance carriers are part of the FEDVIP.

Update on 2007 Civilian Pay Raise

Background: The House approved a 2.7 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees in 2007. Representatives voted for the raise as part of the fiscal 2007 Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill, which passed by a vote of 406-22. President Bush proposed a 2.2 percent raise for both military and civilian employees, but in May, the full House approved a higher 2.7 percent military raise as part of the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. Shortly after that action, 10 members, led by Reps. Tom Davis, R-VA, chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-MD, sent a letter to appropriators asking for the same hike for civilians. A policy statement released by the administration said the president "strongly opposes" the higher raise, citing an additional $600 million cost and noting that the 2.7 percent exceeds the average increase in private-sector pay as measured by the Labor Department's Employment Cost Index.

The bill expressly included Homeland Security and Defense department civilian employees in the 2.7 percent raise. Those two departments have new pay-for-performance systems in the works that are intended to eliminate automatic pay raises for all employees. In a statement following the vote, Hoyer said the "Washington area delegation works hard every year to provide federal employees with a fair pay adjustment that follows the principle of pay parity, including Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security employees." The president's statement specifically urged deletion of the 2.7 percent raise for those departments because of the personnel system changes -- particularly those at the Pentagon, which rolled out its new system for the first 11,000 employees in April. "The provision is ambiguous as to how the increase would be applied to employees covered under these departments' modernized pay systems and will unnecessarily complicate their implementation", the statement said. This year was the first time that President Bush proposed equal pay raises for both groups, but the move did not forestall the annual pay parity battle in Congress.

President Bush did not submit an alternative across-the-board 2007 pay raise for white-collar federal employees, which resulted in a de facto endorsement for a 1.7 percent raise based on calculations provided for in 1990 legislation.

What Happens Next: The president has until 30 November 2006 to submit a plan for locality increases. "The president's budget provides a pay raise for civilian employees that is designed to recruit, retain, reward and motivate a top federal government workforce", Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman Andrea Wuebker said. "The administration is not taking any action on an alternative pay plan at this time". President Bush's decision not to submit an alternative pay proposal to Congress means that the 1.7 percent increase would go into effect in January 2007, unless Congress votes to substitute a different raise, which it has already moved to do.