Oh Boy

Federal unions can't bargain for pay or benefits, but maybe they can help you keep your job. The courts are saying as more agencies offer buyouts and consider those mass-layoffs known as reductions-in-force, they'll have to talk more with their unions. The American Federation of Government Employees sued the Air Force. The service had planned to cut competitive-service jobs but save those it had given to veterans. The union protested. It said some of those vets had not been in their jobs for as long as their colleagues. The D.C. Circuit Appeals Court said the union has a right to negotiate those terms.