On October 7, the House approved a conference committee's report for a provision which would allow government workers under the Federal Employees Retirement System—including letter carriers—to apply their unused sick leave toward retirement. The bill still needs Senate approval—where it might face some budgetary objections-before it can be sent to President Obama for his signature.

The provision is part of the 2010 Defense authorization bill, which a House-Senate conference committee has already agreed upon. The bill, if approved, would let FERS employees get half credit for unused sick leave through 2013. Full FERS sick leave credit would take effect in 2014.

The compromise bill also includes a provision to gradually move federal employees who live and work outside the continental United States away from COLA-based pay raises and into a system based instead on locality pay.

The battle for the Employee Free

Choice Act is heating up. The

legislation to make it easier for

workers to form unions was introduced

 March 10 in both the U.S. House and

Senate. NALC believes the legislation

is vital to pulling the nation out of the

 economic crisis and rebuilding the

middle class. The U.S. Chamber of

Commerce and other corporate

special interests are spending millions

on propaganda to defeat the bill. They

 are betting on a Republican-led

Senate filibuster to block the act again.

 We need 60 Senate votes to win.

When introduced, the bill had 40

Senate co-sponsors.