>>
>> EURO
>> EURO AND BOY HE'S MAKING --
FEDERAL
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD.
VOICES HEARD. OPM, THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT, PUBLISHED THE
RESERVES -- RESULTS OF A SURVEY
TAKEN BY 625 FEDERAL WORKERS.
THE REPORT IS 50 PAGES LONG.
FOR THE MOST PART, WORKERS
RESPONDED THAT THINGS ARE BETTER
THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN PREVIOUS
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. 87% AGREED THAT THEIR SUPERVISOR
TREATS THEM WITH RESPECT.
42% AGREE THAT STEPS ARE TAKEN
TO DEAL WITH POOR PERFORMERS.
87% SAY THEY KNOW HOW THEIR WORK
RESULT -- RELATES TO THE
AGENCY'S GOALS.
AGENCY'S GOALS. 65% OF AGENCIES EXPANDED
TELEWORK.
TELEWORK.
TELEWORK. 59% WERE WORKING FROM HOME
DURING THE PEAK OF THE PANDEMIC.
61% SAID CLEANING AND SANITIZING
SUPPLIES WERE AVAILABLE AT THE
OFFICE.
OFFICE.
OFFICE. ONLY 19% SAID THERE WAS TIMELY
COMMUNICATION ABOUT POSSIBLE
COVID-19 ILLNESS.
COVID-19 ILLNESS. >> LET'S GET ADDITIONAL
PERSPECTIVE FROM OUR NEXT GUEST,
REPRESENTATIVE DUNN BUYER FROM
NORTHER -- DON BUYER FROMJK --
FROM NORTHERN VIRGINIA.
>> IT WAS INTERESTING THAT THE
PANDEMIC ALLOWED FOR A LOT OF
TELEWORK AND PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
THEY LIKE TO WORK FROM HOME AND
NOT HAVE THE TRAFFIC OR THE CAR
OR METRO EXPENSE.
MOST PEOPLE GOT AS MUCH OR MORE
DONE AT HOME AS THEY DID AT
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. >>
WORK. >> BEFORE THE PANDEMIC IT WAS
ONLY ABOUT 3% OF FEDERAL
EMPLOYEES TELEWORKING.
EMPLOYEES TELEWORKING. NOW IT IS DOWN FROM ITS PEAK IN
THE 50'S, DO YOU THINK THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUE
AFTER THE PANDEMIC?
IS THIS A WAY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT COULD SHRINK ITS
PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT AND MORE
PEOPLE COULD DO THE TELEWORK?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. NOT JUST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
IN MANY KINDS OF BUSINESSES.
IT WILL BE A MIX.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE PEOPLE
YOU CAN INTERACT WITH OFTEN,
SEE, SMELL, TOUCH, FEEL.
WE HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT WHEN YOU
CAN ROLL OUT OF BED AND GO RIGHT
TO WORK AND DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT WHERE TO PARK OR TAKING
THAT EXTRA SHOWER YOU CAN BE
JUST AS MORE JUST -- JUST AS OR
MORE PRODUCTIVE.
MORE PRODUCTIVE. BUT I WOULD EXPECT IT WILL BE
HIGHER POST PANDEMIC FOR FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT WORKERS AND OTHER
WORKERS.
WORKERS.
WORKERS. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT FEDERAL
CONTRACTORS.
CONTRACTORS. YOU KNOW THERE ARE MORE THAN
DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL
CONTRACT EMPLOYEES THAN THERE
ARE FEDERAL WORKERS.
THEY ARE GETTING A RAISE IN THE
TUNE OF $8,500 A YEAR THAT WILL
NOT GO INTO EFFECT UNTIL NEXT
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. DO
YEAR. DO WE HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF HOW
MANY PEOPLE THIS WILL AFFECT AND
HOW IT WILL AFFECT THEIR LIVES?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY IN
NORTHERN VIRGINIA WILL BE
DIRECTLY AFFECTED.
DIRECTLY AFFECTED. WE ARE A HIGH INCOME PLACE TO
BEGIN WITH.
BEGIN WITH. BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT WILL
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
WHEN WE ARE ASKING PRIVATE
EMPLOYERS, ESPECIALLY SMALL
BUSINESSES, TO DO THE SAME, IT
IS IMPORTANT THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SET THE RIGHT
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE. >> I WOULD LIKE TO PIVOT AND ASK
YOU WHAT WE CAN EXPECT TONIGHT
WHEN PARENT -- PRESIDENT BIDEN
GIVES HIS ADDRESS TO A JOINT
SESSION OF CONGRESS.
THE AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN, THE
INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN, STAGGERING
COST, TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
THEN THERE IS ON THE OTHER HAND
THE COST OF DOING NOTHING.
YOUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WILL
NOT EMBRACE THE ENTIRETY OF BOTH
OF THESE PLANS.
HOW MUCH SPENDING IS TOO MUCH?
WHAT SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT BE
WILLING TO DO?
>> WE HAVE A PRESIDENT NOW THAT
UNDERSTANDS THE FIRST PRIORITY
IS DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
THEN WE WILL FIGURE OUT HOW IT
BEST SHOULD BE PAID FOR.
WE TYPICALLY HAVE GONE THE OTHER
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. WE
WAY. WE SAY, HERE ARE THE RESOURCES
WE HAVE, WHAT CAN WE DO?
WHAT THAT HAS LED TO IS A TIME
OF SLOW GROWTH OVER TIME.
WE WANT TO EMBRACE THE FUTURE.
WE WANT TO USE ALL OF OUR
RESOURCES.
RESOURCES. WHEN YOU DO THINGS LIKE MAKING
CHILDCARE AFFORDABLE, YOU COME
PUT A LOT OF WOMEN BACK INTO THE
WORKFORCE AND UP PRODUCTIVITY
AND FAMILY INCOMES.
ALL OF THE AMERICAN THINGS THE
-- GREAT I THINK HE WILL LAY OUT
ALL OF THE GREAT THINGS THE
PLANS WILL DO AND HOW HE CAN
PLAY -- PAY FOR IT.
>> CONGRESSMAN