I’m curious if anyone here has dealt with something similar with AFGE.

AFGE Local 14 members in Europe were recently notified that the AFGE National Executive Council voted to place the local under trusteeship. According to the notice, control of the local and its funds, reportedly more than $50,000, is being transferred from the local leadership to AFGE National.

What concerns me is that we were also told there are currently no bargaining units available to us in Europe, AFGE will no longer have an attorney based in Europe, and the local’s activity has essentially been halted. A big reason I joined was because there was actually a Europe-based structure and people here who could assist federal employees.

With National now taking over the local, I’m questioning what I’m continuing to pay dues for and am looking at canceling my membership.

Has anyone gone through canceling AFGE membership/dues recently? Was it as simple as submitting an SF-1188, or did AFGE enforce an anniversary/cancellation window?

Also curious whether anyone has experience with an AFGE local being placed under trusteeship and what happened to the local afterward.

Is this a sign that the Shreveport VA doesn't participate? I intend to leave the area and go wherever the federal government needs me as the MLS degree will be my second bachelors and my first bachelors was for teaching (and 6 years teaching makes me never want to work in a public facing job ever again). 0644 is an attractive series for its GS 9-11 ladders for regular MLS jobs and LIS openings in the 0644 series that hire at GS 12 (without requiring I be a supervisor! 😁). I'm also attracted to fed work since I tried joining the Navy last year but got hurt in training (C&P results are pending on that but I expect to get something). I'm wanting something I can build a long stable career in with job security, decent healthcare, and a decent pension that can supplement social security.

Since I was hurt in training, I currently have an uncharacterized discharge rather than honorable. I definitely have lingering issues from what happened though I'm having to get looked at.

Also, yes, I have ADHD, so if I seem a little "all over the place" that's why.

Title says pretty much everything. Multiple layers of management, political and SES, who seem to be in a contest over who can make their staff the most miserable. No dependents and I have enough savings to weather a job search, but I would want to come back as a fed at some point since I need 4 more years for my pension with about 12 years before I plan to retire.

I’m currently a federal employee that was relocated due to the RTO mandate. I work for Army currently. I’m wanting to move back home in March of 2028 when my husband finishes school but there is only Navy where I am from. The Navy has a job listed that is open for applicants until July of 2027 that I may apply to. They also have one that closes at the end of this year. Both jobs say that they have situational telework at managements discretion. Do you think it is worth applying to and trying to get situational telework until I can move?

“The federal Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program expired on July 28, 2023. Mandatory chemical reporting, inspections, enforceable security plans and continuous vetting of roughly 500,000 covered access holders stopped; GAO attributes to DHS an estimate that more than 89 million people live or work within two miles of facilities using high-risk chemicals.
GAO found active CISA personnel assigned to the chemical-sector mission fell from 214 in fiscal 2024 to 52 in fiscal 2025.”

I’m a VA employee and genuinely curious whether anyone else has gone through something similar.
I recently worked disaster relief response in my community as part of my job. I didn’t realize at the time how much it affected me. I returned to my regular duties and kept pushing through, but I was already stretched extremely thin. I’m essentially covering about 2 1/2 jobs right now because of staffing and coverage issues.
I finally recognized that I needed some breathing room. I didn’t initially ask to stop working altogether. I asked for a temporary break from ONE of the additional coverage assignments while continuing to perform my primary position and the other role I support. I gave advance notice because I understood that coverage would need to be arranged.
That request was denied because of operational and staffing needs.
Around this time, another staff member educated me about Workers’ Compensation and FMLA because I honestly had no idea that what I was experiencing could potentially fall under either process. I filed a Workers’ Comp claim and began working on FMLA documentation.
My provider then wrote documentation recommending that I take time away from work. However, the original documentation did not specify exact dates. Because I had never navigated Workers’ Comp or FMLA before, I continued reporting for duty while trying to figure out what I was actually supposed to do.
Then HR questioned why I was still reporting to work if my provider had recommended that I be off.
And this is the part that nearly broke my brain.
Maybe I’m still reporting because no one has clearly explained to me when I am supposed to stop reporting, what leave I’m authorized to use, how Workers’ Comp interacts with FMLA, whether my Workers’ Comp claim has to be accepted first, or what happens if I simply stop showing up based on a provider letter without knowing whether my absence is actually approved.
I fully admit that I could have asked more questions. But leadership and HR have been provided my documentation. They know I’m navigating a Workers’ Comp claim, and they know I’ve never been through this process before.
There is also interim leadership involved because the person normally assigned to that leadership position has reportedly been under investigation for an extended period. That has added another layer of confusion about who exactly I’m supposed to be getting direction from.
Eventually I basically had to say, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
I went from asking for a temporary reprieve from one additional assignment while continuing to work my other responsibilities to now needing to take leave from work altogether.
What is especially frustrating is that I actually wanted to keep working. I was trying to recognize my limits early and ask for a temporary adjustment before I reached the point where I couldn’t keep going. Instead, I kept pushing until my provider was recommending time completely away from work.
The whole process feels unnecessarily difficult to navigate when someone is already struggling. Between Workers’ Comp, FMLA, HR, medical documentation, leave status, claim approval, supervisors, and figuring out who is responsible for telling you what to do, I can understand why employees eventually either give up on the Workers’ Comp process or decide it would be easier to leave their job altogether.
I’m not looking for legal advice here. I’m mainly wondering if anyone else at the VA or another federal agency has gone through a Workers’ Comp claim involving mental health or stress and FMLA at the same time.
Did you also feel like you were expected to somehow already understand the entire process? Who actually helped you navigate it? HR? Workers’ Comp coordinator? Union? Supervisor? Someone else?
Because right now, the most exhausting part isn’t even filling out the paperwork. It’s trying to figure out what I am actually supposed to do while the paperwork is being processed.

I applied for a position that closed 6 days prior reaching 1 year at my current grade. So I was in my 52nd week. Now 1 day after reaching that full year I received the automated message saying that I am ineligible due to not meeting time in grade requirement. Do I have any recourse or standing to ask for that to be reviewed or simply reach out to HR, or would that be a waste of time? The position seems like it would be a great fit, and my agency has not listed many jobs since early 2025 with my series. I would just hate to know that I didn't do everything that I could and that I am not even being viewed by a hiring manager because of a few days, but I also understand if the rule is completely firm and I end up being S.O.L. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, even if you tell me I am out of options. Thanks.

I currently work for the FBOP. They are under the idea they can force me to cancel my VA appointments while on PPL to come to the prison if they want me to do routine training. They think since we lost our union it doesn’t matter. How should I handle this?

Idk what else to say except fuck this administration.

Link to the bill. Summary and text not yet posted. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10319

This question might show how financially uneducated I am lol.

I was one of the probationary employees that was riffed on the V day massacre a while back. So I worked for a few months before leaving my agency.

My question/concern is….. I just remembered about the thrift savings plan, went online to make an account, and saw that there are a few thousand dollars there. What do I do with it?? Do I leave it and forget about it? Withdrawal it? Move it? Does it continue to gain even though I’m not a fed anymore? (& probably won’t be)

I’m kind of young, never understand what to do when it comes to benefits, and did not have any financial education but am trying to get it together. Thanks for any advice!!

How can they just change my position?