Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.wpost From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: THE FEDERAL DIARY=Eyes on Appointees=By Mike Causey=Washington Post Staff Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 05:01:45 EST Message-ID: <57.1992Nov5.050145@AmeriCast.com> THE FEDERAL DIARY=Eyes on Appointees=By Mike Causey=Washington Post Staff Writer= Reorganizations, transfers, job title changes and contracts au- thorized by or affecting any of the Bush administration's 2,500 political appointees will be scanned - literally from top to bottom - between now and Jan. 20. The watchers will be top Democrats whose eyes and ears, in many cases, will be rank-and-file government workers who don't want their current political masters burrowing into secure jobs in the career civil service. At its best, this will be a monitoring exercise to protect the integrity of the merit system. At its worst, it will be payback time as bureaucrats who have suffered real and imagined wrongs get a chance to fire back at political appointees. Some of the appointees have been on the federal payroll for 12 years. The average career civil servant has 13.4 years in govern- ment. Some of the politicals with prior military, federal or congres- sional service qualify or are close to qualifying for immediate pensions at age 60 with 20 years' service. Even more qualify or are close to qualifying for much smaller pensions at age 62 with five years' service. Many started looking months ago for lower- profile jobs where they might be allowed to serve out the remainder of their days without getting the chop. For many, being able to retire and remain in the federal health plan is a major concern. The politicals' desire to stay in government is well known to equally political Democrats who have been out of power since 1981. It is even better known to savvy career employees who honor the purity of the merit system and may have some old scores to settle by keeping their whistles in blowing condition. Yesterday, Sen. David Pryor (D-Ark.) sent a letter to federal agency heads advising them, courteously but firmly, not to horse around with civil service rules. Pryor is chairman of the Senate's Civil Service Committee and is expected to be President-elect Bill Clinton's main man in the Senate. Similar warnings have been issued by the House Post Office and Civil Ser- vice Committee. In February, before she left for a nonpolitical job at the Smith- sonian Institution, Constance B. Newman, then director of the Of- fice of Personnel Management, issued the same warning to agen- cies: no job changes, reorganizations, mergers or contracting ac- tivities that, as Pryor said, give "even the appearance of im- propriety, favoritism or improper advantage which could comprom- ise the integrity of the merit system" during the transition. Pryor may have to get a second or even third fax machine for the next few weeks.Life Insurance Premiums< Lots of interest is being expressed in the new (and in most cases lower) federal employee life insurance premiums that are effec- tive next year. Some private plans may be forced to drop their premiums to remain competitive. Next year, biweekly premiums for the basic government insurance plan will be 16 1/2 cents per $1,000 of coverage. They are now 18 1/2 cents. Check this space tomorrow for a rundown of the premiums for each option and age group. There will be an open season in the spring when workers who previously refused enrollment can sign up and those who want to add options can do so.<02:46 11-05C9999----- Copyright 1992, The Washington Post. This story is from the Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar- chived or redistributed. For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Cor- poration (usa@AmeriCast.COM)