1. RecruitmentB. Classification
2. Employment
3. Resignation, Transfer or Termination
4. Promotions and Reassignments
1. Position DescriptionC. Employee Relations
2. Classification
1. Performance Management SystemD. Miscellaneous Sources of Pay
2. Hours of Duty
3. Leave
4. Holidays
5. Pay
1. AwardsE. Benefits
2. Bonuses
3. Injury Compensation
1. Health InsuranceF. Employee Protections
2. Life Insurance
3. Retirement
4. Survivor Benefits Upon Death of Employee
5. Thrift Savings Plan
6. Investment Choices
1. Anti-Discriminatory LawsG. Union Representation
2. Reductions-In-Force (RIF)
1. Ethical Conduct
2. Political Activities
Are used to advertise and describe job openings in CPSC and other Federal agencies. | |
Provide the grade level, promotion potential, location and the requirements of the job. | |
Are posted in each CPSC Regional Office; at Headquarters on the electronic bulletin board; on our CPSC Website at www.cpsc.gov; and when appropriate on OPM's website at www.usajobs.opm.gov. | |
Are normally posted for no less than two weeks. | |
Are open, depending on the vacancy, to CPSC employees only,
to all current Federal employees or to everyone who qualifies. |
All competitive and excepted employees on a permanent appointment are on probation for one year. | |
Supervisors will recommend retention or separation before the end of the first year. | |
All new supervisors serve a one-year supervisory probationary
period. |
You will receive a copy of a SF-50 for every personnel action taken. The original is kept in an official personnel file in the Office of Human Resources Management. | |
You should keep a copy of every SF-50 you receive. |
All new permanent employees and some temporary employees
must have a security background investigation. |
The OPF contains all official government papers associated with your employment. | |
It is a permanent record that transfers with you to other Federal agencies or to the Federal Records Center when you leave Federal service. | |
You may review your OPF by making an appointment with an employee in the Office of Human Resources Management. | |
You should keep a copy of all the forms associated with your
employment. |
The employment of relatives is not appropriate if you have anything to do with their selection, promotions, performance appraisals or awards. | |
The definition of a relative is: father, mother, son, daughter,
brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband,
wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law,
sister-in-law, brother-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson,
stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother or half sister. |
You must notify your supervisor at least two weeks in advance of your last day. | |
You must submit your reason for leaving on a Standard Form 52 (Request for Personnel Action). | |
You must complete a Clearance Checklist (CPSC 236) and take care of any financial obligations before you leave. | |
If you leave Federal service you receive a lump sum payment for any unused annual leave, not sick leave. | |
If you transfer to another Federal agency your annual and sick
leave are transferred. |
Agencies may promote, demote or reassign career or career conditional employees under a variety of circumstances. They also may make time-limited promotions of up to five years to fill temporary positions, accomplish project work, fill positions temporarily pending reorganization or to meet other temporary needs. Most career promotions are either career-ladder or processed through the merit promotion plan. | |
General Schedule employees who are promoted to a higher grade must receive a pay increase equal to or above two steps of the former grade. | |
A career or career-conditional employee of one agency may transfer, without a break in service, to an equivalent competitive service position in another agency without competing. | |
To transfer to another Federal agency, you must meet the qualification requirements for the position. Employees must also be found suitable for employment in competitive service positions. | |
If the current appointment is subject to a suitability investigation, that condition continues after the transfer. | |
Generally, you become eligible for promotion after spending a year in your current grade and gaining experience doing the full range of the duties of the position for one year. However, being eligible for promotion does not guarantee you will be promoted. You must compete and be selected for a vacancy at a higher grade level unless the promotion is within your "career ladder". | |
What is a career ladder? When a position has a range of grade levels, for example 5,7,9,11, with a maximum grade of 12, and
the vacancy announcement stated that there was promotion
potential to the 12, it is a career ladder position. Normally, after
completing one year you are eligible for promotion to the next
grade. Being eligible does not necessarily mean you will be
promoted. There are three criteria:
|
Your position description is a description of your duties and responsibilities. | |
It is used to determine your grade level and pay. |
The comparison of your duties to the government-wide standard/guideline used to determine grade level. | |
Job assignments and duties are used to determine grade
level, not "on the job" performance. |
All employees who have appointments that exceed 120 days receive a performance appraisal. | |
Employees must be in a position for 90 days in order to receive a performance appraisal. | |
CPSC has a 5 level system. (Outstanding (Level 5), Highly Successful (Level 4), Fully Successful (Level 3), Minimally Successful (Level 2) and Unacceptable (Level 1)). | |
You and your immediate supervisor are responsible for establishing a performance plan within 30 days of your appointment. | |
Your supervisor completes your Performance Appraisal at the end of the rating period (October 1 - September 30) and the next higher-level official reviews it. | |
Your performance appraisal folder is kept in the Office of Human Resources Management. |
Alternative Work Schedule (AWS): A system different from normal business hours of 8:30 to 5:00. | |
Compressed Work Schedule: An 80-hour per biweekly pay period completed in less than 10 days (5/4/9). You work 9 hours a day for 8 days and 8 hours on one day with one day off per pay period. Or, you work eight 10-hour workdays with two days off per pay period (4/10). | |
Flexitour: A 10 day, 8 hr. work schedule with a set start and finish time within the core hours approved in advance by the supervisor. The start and stop times may be modified with the approval of the supervisor. | |
Variable week: A flexible work schedule of 80 hrs per biweekly pay period. The number of hours worked on a given day may vary with approval of the supervisor. | |
Credit Hours: Any hours under a flexible or standard schedule which are in excess of your basic work requirement and which
you elect to work to vary the length of a workweek or a workday. Must be approved in advance. They are a voluntary redistribution of your normal hours between pay periods. One credit hour is
earned for each hour you work in excess of the 80-hour biweekly pay period. If you are on a compressed work schedule you may not earn credit hours. | |
Core Hours: Designated times and days during the biweekly pay period when you must be present for work other than a lunch period or approved leave. Core hours are normally 9:30am until 3:30pm, Monday through Friday. | |
Flexible Time Bands: Period during a workday in which you are on alternative work schedules. You may select and/or vary
starting and quitting times with prior approval of your
supervisor. The bands will normally be 6:00am to 9:30am and
3:30pm to 7:00pm. | |
Access to Work Areas: You will have access to your work area Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:00am and 7:00pm. Your supervisor must approve any change. |
4 hours per pay period for the first three years of employment; | |
6 hours per pay period from year four until year 15; | |
8 hours per pay period from year 15; and, | |
Can be used in increments of 15 minutes. Must be approved
in advance whenever possible. |
4 hours per pay period for everyone; | |
Can be used in 15-minute increments; and, | |
Must be approved in advance whenever possible. |
New Year's Day - January 1 | |
Inauguration Day (DC Metropolitan Area Only) - January 20 every 4 years | |
Martin Luther King's Birthday - 3rd Monday in January | |
President's Day - 3rd Monday in February | |
Memorial Day - Last Monday in May | |
Independence Day - July 4 | |
Labor Day - 1st Monday in September | |
Columbus Day - 2nd Monday in October | |
Veterans Day - November 11 | |
Thanksgiving Day - 4th Thursday in November | |
Christmas Day - December 25 |
GS: Has grades 1 through 15 with 10 steps for each grade; | |
SES: Has 6 levels; and, | |
Executive Level: Has 5 levels and are appointed by the President. At CPSC, only the
Chairman and the Commissioners are at the
Executive Level. There are 5 levels. |
Certain deductions are automatically taken from payroll checks. These include Federal and State taxes (at the exemption rate that you elect), retirement contributions, social security, FICA/Medicare, health insurance and life insurance. | |
Deductions may also be authorized for the Thrift Savings Plan, U.S. Savings Bonds, financial institutions (e.g. for a savings account or a loan payment), and charitable contributions. |
2, 3, and 4 |
52 weeks
|
5, 6, and 7 |
104 weeks
|
8, 9, and 10 |
156 weeks
|
Recruitment bonuses are cash incentives up to 25 percent of base pay given to new employees for jobs that have been difficult to fill in the past. | |
Relocation bonuses up to 25 percent may be paid for current Federal employees to relocate to a new commuting area. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. | |
Retention allowances may be given up to 25 percent of basic pay to a current employee with unusually high or unique qualifications or the agency has a special need for that person's qualifications. It can be given only if a determination is made that the employee would be likely to leave in the absence of the allowance. |
The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program is designed to help protect you and eligible family members from the expenses of illness and accident. Unlike many private sector health benefit plans, it provides coverage without physical examination, places no restrictions on age or physical condition, offers a wide range of plans to choose from and cannot be canceled. | |
You and the government jointly share the cost of the FEHB program. On average, the government pays slightly more than 70 percent of the cost. You pay your share of the premium through a payroll deduction. You can use your FEHB benefits as soon as your coverage is effective. There are no waiting periods, required medical examinations or restrictions because of age or physical condition. | |
There are two types of enrollments in each FEHB plan: self only, which provides benefits only to you; and self and family, providing benefits to you and all eligible family members. A self and family enrollment covers you, your spouse and your unmarried dependent children under age 22. | |
You can choose from among fee for service (FFS) plans regardless of where you live; plans offering a point of service (POS); or health maintenance organizations (HMOs) if you live (or sometimes if you work) in the area serviced by the plan. | |
Each Fall the government holds an "open season" in which you may change plans, type of enrollment or change levels of coverage if you wish. | |
If you leave CPSC, or any other Federal agency, your health care coverage continues for 31 days following the last day of the pay period you worked for CPSC. This coverage is at NO cost to you. | |
If you leave the CPSC or any other Federal agency you are also eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC). Departing employees must apply for TCC in the Office of Human Resources Management prior to leaving CPSC. TCC entitles the employee to eighteen months of health insurance coverage. However, you are responsible for the full cost of the health insurance premium and a small administrative charge (TCC= Government's share + your regular share + 2% administrative cost or 102% of the health insurance cost.). In most cases, the monthly cost to you will be less than the cost of private sector health insurance. |
The Federal Employee's Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program, as the name implies, provides group term life insurance. In most cases, you are automatically covered by Basic life insurance. In addition to the Basic, there are three forms of Optional insurance that you can elect. You must have Basic insurance in order to elect any of the options. Unlike Basic, enrollment in Optional insurance is not automatic - you must take action to elect the options. | |
Unlike the Federal Health Benefits Program, which has annual opportunities to join or change coverage levels, FEGLI open seasons are rare; elections of coverage generally must be made when first offered. | |
The cost of Basic insurance is shared between you and the government. You pay 2/3 of the total cost and the government pays 1/3. Your age does not affect the cost of Basic insurance. You pay the full cost of Optional insurance. The cost of Optional insurance depends on your age. For insurance withholding purposes, the government assumes you reach an age in your first pay period that starts after your birthday. | |
Most federal employees, including part-time employees, are eligible to enroll. Basic life insurance coverage is effective on the first day you enter a pay and duty status unless you waive this coverage before the end of your first pay period. You may waive Basic at any time. Optional insurance generally must be elected within 31 days of an appointment. |
If you are a new employee, you are in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The FERS system covers everyone hired since January 1, 1984. However, if you had previous Federal employment under the "old" federal retirement program, the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), and were rehired, you may have been rehired under the FERS or CSRS-Offset, which is a mix of CSRS and Social Security coverage. | |
If you're unsure which retirement system applies to you, contact EXRM. The systems have fundamental differences in how benefits accumulate. | |
FERS is a three-part retirement system consisting of Social Security coverage, a civil service annuity and the Thrift Savings Plan. In general, FERS employees contribute 7.0 percent of pay to cover the cost of their benefits: .8 percent is paid to the civil service retirement fund and goes to cover their basic annuity benefit and 6.2 percent goes to pay for Social Security benefits. | |
In addition, they pay 1.45 percent for Medicare coverage, there is no cap on Medicare deductions. | |
FERS employees retiring with an unreduced annuity after 30 years will receive a basic benefit equal to 30 percent of their high-3 years of average salary as compared to 56.25 percent for CSRS and CSRS-Offset employees. FERS employees will be eligible for a Social Security benefit at age 62. |
Federal retirement systems protect your loved ones. Under FERS the surviving spouse of an employee who had at least 18 months of creditable civilian service may be eligible for a basic employee death benefit, as long as the spouse:
Was married to the deceased for an aggregate of at least nine months (the nine-month requirement does not apply if the death was accidental). | |
The deceased was the parent of a child born of the marriage (including one born posthumously, or out of wedlock if the parties later married). This benefit may be payable to a former spouse (in whole or in part) if a qualified court so orders. The rules are somewhat different for those under the CSRS retirement system. |
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a valuable way to build up a nest egg for your retirement. It's the Federal government's version of the popular 401(k) plan. The TSP is a payroll withholding based plan. Investments are from pretax dollars and investment earnings are tax deferred until withdrawn. | |
FERS employees are allowed to invest up to 12 percent, to a threshold set annually by the IRS (in 2002, $11,000). Your agency will automatically contribute an amount equal to 1 percent of your basic pay each pay period. You make your own contribution by payroll deductions and your agency matches those contributions according to the following schedule: |
Investment
|
Agency Match
|
First 3% of basic pay
|
$1.00 for each $1.00 you invest
|
Next 2% of basic pay
|
$0.50 for each $1.00 you invest
|
Next 6% of basic pay
|
0
|
Currently, the TSP has five funds available:
The Government Securities Investment Fund (G Fund), special Treasury issues with an average maturity date of about 14 years. | |
The Common Stock Index Fund (C Fund), which tracks the Standard & Poor’s 500 index of large U.S. stocks. | |
The Fixed Income Index Investment Fund (F Fund), a combination of corporate and government bonds. | |
The Small Capitalization Stock Index Investment (S Fund), which tracks the Wilshire 4500 stock index. | |
The International Stock Index Fund (I Fund), which tracks the returns of the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE. |
You may gain access to your money during your working career through loans (and in-service withdrawals). When you take a TSP loan, you are borrowing from yourself. Loans are repaid through payroll allotments over the payment period specified in the loan agreement. You can repay the loan in full, plus any unpaid interest before the end of your loan repayment schedule without penalty.
- Anti-Discrimination Laws:
Federal employees are protected from discrimination under Title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section
501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission enforces these laws. Generally speaking,
under these laws it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of
employment including: hiring and firing, compensation,
assignment, or classification of employees, transfer, promotion,
layoff, or recall, recruitment and testing. Discriminatory practices
under those laws also include: harassment on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or age. | |
Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in
schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial,
ethnic, or religious group. The law prohibits not only intentional
discrimination, but also practices that have the effect of
discriminating against individuals because of their race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, disability or age. | |
Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which protects
individuals who are 40 years of age or older from
employment discrimination based on age. | |
The Equal Pay Act, under which agencies may not discriminate
on the basis of sex in the payment of wages or benefits, where
men and women perform work of similar skill, effort, and
responsibility for the same employer under similar working
conditions. | |
The Rehabilitation Act, which protects people who have
physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or
more major activities, have records of such impairments, or
are regarded as having such impairments. |
Career employees may appeal many disciplinary actions and
personnel decisions they believe are adverse to them to the Merit
Systems Protection Board (MSPB). | |
CPSC Headquarters and some Field employees are represented by
an employee Union called the American Federation of
Government Employees. All non-supervisory and non-managerial
employees in Headquarters are part of what is called a
Bargaining Unit. Members of a bargaining unit must use the
negotiated grievance procedure. | |
If you are in a supervisory, managerial, confidential position or
you work in a Field location that is not part of a bargaining unit,
you must use the CPSC administrative grievance procedure. |
Tenure of employment (such as type of appointment);An agency is required to use the RIF procedures when an employee is faced with separation or downgrading for a reason such as reorganization, lack of work, shortage of funds, insufficient personnel ceiling, or the exercise of certain reemployment or restoration rights. A furlough of more than 30 calendar days, or of more than 22 discontinuous workdays, also is a RIF action. (A furlough of 30 or fewer calendar days, or of 22 or fewer discontinuous workdays, is an adverse action.)
Veterans preference;
Length of service; and,
Performance ratings.
More than half of the Federal government is covered by
bargaining units, allowing unions to negotiate over various
conditions of employment. They don’t generally negotiate
compensation or other matters deemed to be in management’s
sole prerogative. | |
You must be in a recognized bargaining unit to join the union.
However, you do not need to be a dues-paying union member if
you are in a bargaining unit. | |
CPSC Headquarters and some Field employees are represented
by an employee Union called the American Federation of
Government Employees. All non-supervisory and non-
managerial employees in Headquarters and some Field locations
are part of these bargaining units.
|
Employees shall not use public office for private gain; and | |
Employees shall act impartially and not give preferential
treatment to any private organization or individual. In addition, employees must avoid any action that would create the appearance that they are violating the law or ethical standards. Rules of ethical conduct govern subjects such as giving or accepting gifts, outside employment, abuse of position, required financial disclosures in certain situations and similar matters. |
Be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections; | |
Register and vote as they choose; | |
Assist in voter registration drives; | |
Express opinions about candidates and issues; | |
Contribute money to political organizations; | |
Attend political fundraising functions. Attend and be active at
political rallies and meetings; | |
Join and be an active member of a political party or club; | |
Sign nominating petitions; and, | |
Campaign for or against referendum questions, constitutional
amendments, or municipal ordinances. |
Campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections; | |
Make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections; | |
Distribute campaign literature in partisan elections; | |
Hold office in political clubs or parties; | |
Use official authority or influence to interfere with an election; | |
Solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business
before their agency; | |
Solicit or receive political contributions (may be done in certain
limited situations by federal labor or other employee
organizations); | |
Be candidates for public office in partisan elections; | |
Engage in political activity while on duty, in a government office,
wearing an official uniform or using a government vehicle; and, | |
Wear political buttons on duty. |