One of the things we elders like to do is support the younger folks in our professions. I’d like to give a shout-out to The Hotshot Wakeup (THW). I am a regular follower and subscriber. I encourage you to support him and subscribe, if only for a month or two, as you can afford.
Today he has a podcast titled
FS Chief Moore Calls Out Hypocrisy With Cost Of Living Increases. Says The Feds Are Not Doing Enough. FS Has A $740M Budget Hole.
During which he talks about rent increases for federal housing, rebates for some federal housing, and differences in salaries or geographic differentials (not clear which) between BLM and FS employees in the same building in North Dakota. It sounds like the problem(s) might be with OPM, but I’m sure it’s complex; if anyone can explain the details (or if the FS has something written about it), please share. Also what agency sets rents, and do they rationalize somewhere why a 100% increase is a good number?
I’m sure some folks in the FS have written a clear description of the problem(s) and possible solutions. It sounds as if the Secretary can’t influence OPM, but if they are the problem, surely someone can. I think we all would like to help if we could figure out exactly how and whom to try to influence. THW also included a clip from a recording by the Chief during which he sounds pretty frustrated.
Please, if you have access to clear(er) information, share it either below or via email.
Also THW mentioned something like “the FS owes more in leases than they are legally funded for”, I’d like to hear more details about that.
He also said something like the FS is something like 740 mill in the hole. Again, more details would be helpful.
The FS is probably in the middle of figuring out how to deal with it and doing the best they can. I hope after the worst is over, though, there is a publicly accessible lessons learned.
Finally, I would still like to see an explanation of the “new” budget structure and how it is different from the previous version, if someone has seen one or would be willing to write one.
Yup, things are not looking good in the FS – this is just a continuation from the “hiring assessment” where the FS did not see it coming that a 5.6% federal pay raise for FY24 coupled with a final FY24 budget that was less than FY23. The FS has blamed this on Congress not funding the pay raise (does Congress ever do that?) and on greater employee retention than expected. Who is minding the store?
Several hundred non-FS folks had been offered “soft” job offers and those were rescinded. The FS had been on a full-bore hiring surge that was abruptly ended. Filling existing vacancies with non-FS employees has been severely limited. Filling vacancies has now been limited in some cases to FS employees within the National Forest where the vacancy occurs or FS employees in the Region where the vacancy occurs. There is talk of FS employees doing force account work instead of contracting out work. There is also talk of shifting FS employees to work associated with Permanent & Trust Funds (like KV and BD) to allow those funds to be used more for salary. And who knows what all else.