The Nation : Federal Merit Plan Halted

A U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked implementation of a merit plan for federal workers and ordered a District Court to decide by July 10 whether to issue a temporary injunction against it. The plan would place greater emphasis on employees’ performance when deciding on longevity pay increases or layoffs. The current system relies on seniority. A congressional ban on the new system expires at midnight tonight and Congress is considering legislation to renew it. However, the Office of Management and Budget decided to proceed with the changes. The injunction was sought by two federal employee unions.