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Post by southeastalj on Dec 20, 2011 17:08:37 GMT -5
There was an update in the recent union newsletter from the December Labor-Management Committee meeting held December 13-14. The agency stated it wanted to hire 107 ALJ's in September 2012 and that it was the Commissioner's desire to hire off a new register. The Agency though acknowledged OPM doesn't have a new register currently in the works. 107 + the 17 hired to start in January brings us to the 124 for the total fiscal year.
Interestingly, the agency also acknowledged there has been a drop in initial claims being filed the last 3 months. October was an especially a sharp drop, in 10/11 252,774 initial claims were filed versus 341,928 in 10/10 with the hope that the recession wave of filings may have finally crested. This may reduce the need for additional hiring.
Personally, a 107 ALJ hire sounds to me like simply hiring to replace attrition. The agency reported 93 judges retired in FY2011. Remember for every 4-5 top pay scale ALJ's who retire enough money is freed up from the salaries to cover an additional ALJ salary. In other words accounting for the variance in locality pay 5 top scale ALJ's make as much in salary as 6 new hire ALJ's.
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Post by agilitymom on Dec 20, 2011 17:32:49 GMT -5
So does that mean that the Agency does not intend to make any new hires in fiscal year (FY)2012 (other than the 17 hired to start in January)?
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Post by redwhiteblue on Dec 20, 2011 17:42:11 GMT -5
This is the same as I heard from some reliable sources. Sounds like about 100 more in FY2012 and probably off the current register, which means that will probably be it for the current register after FY2012. I also expect it might be a little sooner, month or two earlier given that the budget was passed earlier than I think anyone expected. Southeastern, any word on attrition in FY 2012 thus far?
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Post by 71stretch on Dec 20, 2011 18:08:23 GMT -5
So does that mean that the Agency does not intend to make any new hires in fiscal year (FY)2012 (other than the 17 hired to start in January)? If they hire in Sept (and the process would have to start sooner) that would be in federal FY 2012. |
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Post by southeastalj on Dec 20, 2011 18:11:19 GMT -5
This is the same as I heard from some reliable sources. Sounds like about 100 more in FY2012 and probably off the current register, which means that will probably be it for the current register after FY2012. I also expect it might be a little sooner, month or two earlier given that the budget was passed earlier than I think anyone expected. Southeastern, any word on attrition in FY 2012 thus far? 17 so far which doesn't yet include the end of calendar year rush |
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Post by hopefalj on Dec 20, 2011 18:26:11 GMT -5
There was an update in the recent union newsletter from the December Labor-Management Committee meeting held December 13-14. The agency stated it wanted to hire 107 ALJ's in September 2012 and that it was the Commissioner's desire to hire off a new register. The Agency though acknowledged OPM doesn't have a new register currently in the works. 107 + the 17 hired to start in January brings us to the 124 for the total fiscal year. Interestingly, the agency also acknowledged there has been a drop in initial claims being filed the last 3 months. October was an especially a sharp drop, in 10/11 252,774 initial claims were filed versus 341,928 in 10/10 with the hope that the recession wave of filings may have finally crested. This may reduce the need for additional hiring. Personally, a 107 ALJ hire sounds to me like simply hiring to replace attrition. The agency reported 93 judges retired in FY2011. Remember for every 4-5 top pay scale ALJ's who retire enough money is freed up from the salaries to cover an additional ALJ salary. In other words accounting for the variance in locality pay 5 top scale ALJ's make as much in salary as 6 new hire ALJ's. Very interesting. I wonder if the attrition numbers for FY2012 will be similar. In our office, we had one judge leave in FY2011, but there are rumors of a few more retiring before the end of FY2012. Are the odds of a new register being created this fiscal year extremely low? |
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Post by 71stretch on Dec 20, 2011 19:00:59 GMT -5
If they are going to tweak the application, which there is some indication they may, once that gets done, it took them six months just to complete the last "refresh" of the register (from applications in Nov 09 to NORs in May, 2010). Then, if they want to hire off a new register in FY 2012, assuming one could be created-- factor in all the paperwork and interviews for a new certificate from that register, and getting all that done before 10/1 seems like a tall order.
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Post by usnjudge on Dec 20, 2011 19:17:28 GMT -5
All quite interesting. I guess another $64k question - any indications WHERE these vacancies (assuming they will come to fruition) will be filled .... be they from attrition or otherwise. I hate to be a vulture poised and at the ready to launch off my rotting limb - but....
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