Office of Personnel Management

Rule Changes

Issued guidance on the executive orders

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) posted a final rule Wednesday that lets the agency refuse arbitration requests in federal worker union disputes. The rule allows a threshold inquiry into whether providing the service would conflict with law, a court order, or the agency's own authority.

Updated 2 hours ago

Rule Changes

Absorbing federal employee appeal functions from MSPB

The Merit Systems Protection Board's new penalty review standard took effect October 5. Appeals filed on or after that date are judged under a case-by-case 'totality of circumstances' test, replacing the 12-point Douglas factors checklist the board used for 45 years.

Updated Oct 7

Rule Changes

Publishes federal workforce statistics and administers human resources policy

The US federal civilian workforce has dropped to about 2.7 million employees, the smallest since 1966. More than 300,000 workers left between January 2025 and early 2026, an 11% reduction in just over a year. The cuts reached nearly every major agency.

Updated Oct 1

Rule Changes

Directing agencies to screen for additional positions using AI-assisted job description review

About 8,000 senior federal workers lost civil service protections on June 3, when President Trump moved them into a new job category called Schedule Policy/Career. Two unions and a nonprofit coalition have since filed amended lawsuits, but no judge has blocked the change.

Updated Aug 8