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Surface Transportation Board Issues Decision Involving First Coast Railroad, CSX Transportation
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. FD 36777) entitled "First Coast Railroad Inc. - Lease and Operation Exemption - CSX Transportation Inc.":
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Digest:/1 This decision waives the 60-day advance notice requirement with respect to First Coast Railroad Inc.'s exemption to extend the term of its lease for approximately 31.83 miles of rail line and allows the exemption to take effect on November 24, 2024.
By petition filed on October 25, 2024, First Coast Railroad Inc. (FCRD), a Class III rail carrier,
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. FD 36777) entitled "First Coast Railroad Inc. - Lease and Operation Exemption - CSX Transportation Inc.":
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Digest:/1 This decision waives the 60-day advance notice requirement with respect to First Coast Railroad Inc.'s exemption to extend the term of its lease for approximately 31.83 miles of rail line and allows the exemption to take effect on November 24, 2024.
By petition filed on October 25, 2024, First Coast Railroad Inc. (FCRD), a Class III rail carrier,filed a verified notice of exemption pursuant to 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1150.41 to enter into an amendment to extend the term of, and to make other minor changes to, a lease with CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT), for a rail line extending from Yulee, Fla., at milepost S 611.95, to the end of track at Seals, Ga., milepost S 593.4, on the Kingsland Subdivision; and from Yulee, milepost SMA 35.1, to the end of track at Fernandina, Fla., milepost SMA 48.38, on the Fernandina Subdivision, a distance of approximately 31.83 miles (the Line).
FCRD states that it is currently operating the Line, which it has leased from CSXT since 2005. (Verified Notice 2); see also First Coast R.R.-Lease & Operation Exemption-CSX Transp., Inc., FD 34670 (STB served Apr. 25, 2005). Further, in its verified notice, FCRD certifies that its annual revenues currently exceed $5 million. (Verified Notice 3.) Accordingly, unless waived, 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1150.42(e) would require FCRD to post a notice of its intent to undertake the proposed transaction setting forth certain information at the workplace of the employees on the affected lines, serve a copy of the notice on the national offices of the labor unions with employees on the affected lines, and certify to the Board that it has done so. The regulation would also require FCRD to fulfill the notice requirements at least 60 days before the exemption becomes effective. However, concurrently with the filing of its verified notice, FCRD requested a waiver of those notice requirements. (See Verified Notice 3-4.)
In its request for waiver, FCRD states that the 60-day labor notice requirements are unnecessary because the proposed transaction would result in no changes for any employees working on the Line. (Id. at 5.) According to FCRD: (1) no FCRD employees would be affected by the proposed transaction; (2) there would be no operational changes; (3) no employees of CSXT have worked on the Line since 2005; and (4) no CSXT employees would be affected by the transaction. (See id.)
Notice of FCRD's exemption was served and published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 88,853). The published notice announced that the Board would establish the effective date of the exemption in a separate decision on the waiver request.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of the notice requirements at 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1150.42(e) is to ensure that rail labor unions and employees who would be affected by the transfer of a line are given sufficient notice of the transaction before consummation.
Here, however, it does not appear that the purpose behind the requirements would be thwarted if the requested waiver is granted. The record indicates that no employees would be adversely affected by a waiver of the 60-day notice requirements. FCRD is the current operator of the Line and has been since 2005, and FCRD states that there would be no changes for any FCRD employees working on the Line as a result of the proposed transaction. Moreover, FCRD indicates that CSXT has no employees who would be affected by the transaction.
Because no employees would be adversely affected by the requested waiver of the 60-day notice period, the Board will grant the waiver. FCRD's lease and operation exemption will become effective on November 24, 2024, the day the exemption otherwise would take effect absent the notice requirement.
This action is categorically excluded from environmental review under 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1105.6(c).
It is ordered:
1. FCRD's request for waiver is granted.
2. FCRD's exemption will be effective on November 24, 2024.
3. This decision is effective on its date of service.
By the Board, Board Members Fuchs, Hedlund, Primus, and Schultz.
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Footnote:
1/ The digest constitutes no part of the decision of the Board but has been prepared for the convenience of the reader. It may not be cited to or relied upon as precedent. See Pol'y Statement on Plain Language Digs. in Decisions, EP 696 (STB served Sept. 2, 2010).
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Original text here: https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/DCMS_External_PROD/1732289473631/52373.pdf
Navy Region Hawaii N-Focus: Spotlight on Office of the Inspector General - N00G
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, Nov. 23 -- The Commander of the Hawaii Navy Region issued the following news:
From Raquel Cloma, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) inspects, investigates, or inquires into matters of importance to the Department of the Navy with respect to fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and command operations. The OIG provides support and guidance that enables management to evaluate the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the administration, operation, and function of the command.
The
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PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, Nov. 23 -- The Commander of the Hawaii Navy Region issued the following news:
From Raquel Cloma, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) inspects, investigates, or inquires into matters of importance to the Department of the Navy with respect to fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and command operations. The OIG provides support and guidance that enables management to evaluate the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the administration, operation, and function of the command.
TheOffice of the Inspector General (N00G) is one of more than 30 N codes at Commander, Navy Region Hawaii (CNRH).
N codes are the operational backbone of a Navy command. Each N code functions as a department with a specific set of responsibilities and dedicated staff. Many N codes have sub-codes that oversee specific programs. The N code system was developed to provide a structure of the U.S. Navy for the chief of naval operations organization, which is typically illustrated in the command's organizational chart.
Aaron Lehl is the Inspector General for the CNRH Office of Inspector General.
The OIG is a subordinate department under the N00 regional commander (REGCOM) and is located in the Military Family Support Center/Regional Support Center on Bougainville Drive.
The OIG serves the command by providing independent and impartial investigation and inspection efforts to the REGCOM by appropriately addressing hotline complaints, performing audit liaison, and conducting independent investigations and inspections to ensure compliance, promote integrity, identify and eliminate or mitigate risks, and achieve efficiencies and compliance.
"Our office serves as an independent and unbiased support to the commander with a focus on ensuring the highest level of integrity and public confidence is maintained. We ensure personnel, programs, and functions are operating in compliance with governing standards; identify areas of non-compliance, risk, and inefficiencies; and work with leadership and program directors in bringing programs and functions into further compliance, improved efficiency, and lessened risk, thereby ensuring our command remains effective and ready," said Lehl.
For the community, the OIG provides independent and objective investigations and inspections to help prevent, detect, and deter fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement.
"Federal personnel and the general public are able to seek our assistance regarding issues and complaints they may have when other avenues or resources have been unresponsive or if there is a fear of reprisal," explained Lehl. "I am proud of the culture established in the office and take pride in the work we do and the integrity of the work-products we complete, whether it be an official investigation report, an inspection report, coordinating efforts with external audit agencies, or communicating with leaders, Sailors, civilians, and the public alike. Our leadership, our people, and the public deserve no less."
CNRH's OIG team of four includes the Region Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General, an inspector/investigator, and a management analyst.
"Our strength is the varied professional experience and backgrounds of the team we draw upon and share to support each other, the command, and the community. Among us, we have a licensed attorney; a crime scene investigator, a civilian paralegal, and a former Navy paralegal," said Lehl. "We attribute our ability to address a broad range of topics brought to the attention of our office to our varied professional experiences and backgrounds."
"While we fall under CNRH, we maintain independence and autonomy when it comes to conducting investigations and inspections, and our findings therefrom," added Lehl. "Our vision is to be viewed as 'The Conscience of the Commander,' making a difference, adding value at all levels through proactive assistance, advice, and advocacy."
For more information about the Office of the Inspector General, visit https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/Operations-and-Management/Inspector-General/, call (808) 471-1949, or email cnrhoig@us.navy.mil.
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Original text here: https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/News/News-Detail/Article/3976255/navy-region-hawaii-n-focus-spotlight-on-office-of-the-inspector-general-n00g/
National Security Advisor Sullivan Issues Statement on Further Sanctioning Russia Use of International Financial System
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The White House issued the following statement on Nov. 21, 2024, by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on further sanctioning Russia's use of the international financial system:
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In September, President Biden announced a surge in security assistance and additional actions to help Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia's aggression. And today, the United States is imposing significant new sanctions on over 50 financial institutions to further degrade Russia's ability to use the international financial system to fund and prosecute its brutal war against the people
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The White House issued the following statement on Nov. 21, 2024, by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on further sanctioning Russia's use of the international financial system:
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In September, President Biden announced a surge in security assistance and additional actions to help Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia's aggression. And today, the United States is imposing significant new sanctions on over 50 financial institutions to further degrade Russia's ability to use the international financial system to fund and prosecute its brutal war against the peopleof Ukraine. These targets include Gazprombank, Russia's largest remaining bank not sanctioned by the United States, as well as 50 other persons and entities operating in the Russian financial sector.
In response to Russian aggression, President Biden has led international efforts alongside the G7 and many of our allies and partners to hold Russia accountable for its aggression. Today's sanctions will further curtail Russia's abuse of the international financial system to help finance its war against Ukraine.
The United States remains committed to putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and we will continue to take all available steps to do so from surging security assistance to imposing and fully enforcing sanctions and other restrictions on Russia's war machine.
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/11/21/statement-from-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-on-further-sanctioning-russias-use-of-the-international-financial-system/
MSPB Board Decision: Eric Terrell Bryant Vs. Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Merit Systems Protection Board issued the following case report for Nov. 22, 2024:
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Note: These summaries are descriptions prepared by individual MSPB employees. They do not represent official summaries approved by the Board itself, and are not intended to provide legal counsel or to be cited as legal authority. Instead, they are provided only to inform and help the public locate Board precedents.
BOARD DECISIONS
Appellant: Eric Terrell Bryant
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 16
Docket Number: AT-0714-23-0137-I-1
Issuance
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- The Merit Systems Protection Board issued the following case report for Nov. 22, 2024:
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Note: These summaries are descriptions prepared by individual MSPB employees. They do not represent official summaries approved by the Board itself, and are not intended to provide legal counsel or to be cited as legal authority. Instead, they are provided only to inform and help the public locate Board precedents.
BOARD DECISIONS
Appellant: Eric Terrell Bryant
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 16
Docket Number: AT-0714-23-0137-I-1
IssuanceDate: November 18, 2024
VA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
DUE PROCESS
The agency removed the appellant under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714 based on his alleged improper behavior towards officers of a local police department when they attempted to serve the appellant with a temporary protective order. An administrative judge issued an initial decision that sustained the removal. The appellant sought review of the Board decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit). The Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision, Bryant v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 26 F.4th 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2022), vacating the Board's decision in this case and remanding the appeal for the Board to address the deciding official's review of the charge under too low of a burden of proof. The Federal Circuit also directed the Board to apply the relevant factors in assessing the penalty, consistent with Douglas v. Veterans Administration, 5 M.S.P.R. 280, 305-06 (1981).
The Board remanded the appeal to the administrative judge, who remanded the matter to the agency for the deciding official to analyze the charge under the preponderant evidence burden of proof and to apply the Douglas factors to the removal penalty, consistent with the Federal Circuit's instructions. The deciding official issued a new decision finding that the charge was supported by preponderant evidence and included an analysis of the Douglas factors supporting the removal penalty. The appellant appealed the new removal decision, arguing in part that the agency violated his constitutional due process rights. The administrative judge subsequently issued a new initial decision affirming the removal action.
Holding: The agency violated the appellant's due process rights by failing to provide him with notice and an opportunity to respond to all of the aggravating factors the deciding official considered in determining the penalty.
1. Due process requires that a tenured Federal employee be provided with advance notice of a deciding official's intention to rely on aggravating factors as the basis for an imposed penalty so that the employee has a fair opportunity to respond to those factors before the deciding official.
2. Although the Board has applied these due process requirements to appeals of actions taken under 5 U.S.C. chapter 75 and 5 U.S.C.
chapter 43, due process requirements are equally applicable to actions taken under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714, like the appellant's removal.
3. The deciding official completed a Douglas factor worksheet following remand of the appeal that included consideration of some aggravating factors that were not included in the appellant's proposed removal, and therefore were ex parte. These factors included a potential future and broader conflict between the agency and local police departments as a whole based on the appellant's behavior during the incident for which he was removed; whether alternative sanctions could serve as a deterrent; and the consistency of the penalty with agency's table of penalties.
4. The appellant was not aware that the deciding official would consider these factors and did not have an opportunity to respond to them. Further, these factors influenced the deciding official's decision. The Board concluded that the deciding official's consideration of the ex parte information was so substantial and so likely to cause prejudice that it rose to a due process violation and reversed the removal action on this basis.
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Appellant: Tammie Morley
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Decision Number: 2024 MSPB 17
Docket Number: CH-0714-22-0256-A-1
Issuance Date: November 20, 2024
ATTORNEY FEES - PREVAILING PARTY
ATTORNEY FEES - INTEREST OF JUSTICE
The agency removed the appellant from her position under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 714, based on a charge of failure to meet position requirements. The administrative judge issued an initial decision finding that the agency proved its charge but failed to give bona fide consideration to the relevant Douglas factors in determining the removal penalty. After that initial decision became final, the appellant filed a motion for attorney fees for her removal appeal. The administrative judge issued an addendum initial decision denying the appellant's fee request, finding that the appellant did not qualify as a prevailing party, and alternatively, that she had not shown that an award of attorney fees was warranted in the interest of justice.
Holding: The administrative judge correctly concluded that the appellant was not a prevailing party.
1. A party that has prevailed in a case may be entitled to attorney fees only if she obtains an enforceable order resulting in a material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties.
2. The appellant argued below and on review that she obtained a "material alteration of the legal relationship" between herself and the agency because the agency was forced to rescind its prior decision and to reissue a decision that applied the Douglas factors.
3. However, as the administrative judge correctly explained, the initial decision did not direct the agency to vacate the appellant's removal outright and did not provide her with any of the relief she had requested.
4. As a result, the Board agreed with the administrative judge that the appellant had not established that she received "actual relief on the merits of [her] claim," considering the case as a whole, and instead the appellant still found herself in the exact same position at the end of her appeal as she was in at the beginning of her appeal; therefore, she was not a "prevailing party" for the purpose of an award of attorney fees.
Holding: The administrative judge correctly determined, in the alternative, that the appellant failed to show that attorney fees were warranted in the interest of justice.
1. An award of attorney fees may be warranted in the interest of justice when: (1) the agency engaged in a prohibited personnel practice; (2) the agency action was clearly without merit or wholly unfounded, or the employee is substantially innocent of the charges; (3) the agency initiated the action in bad faith; (4) the agency committed a gross procedural error that prolonged the proceeding or severely prejudiced the employee; or (5) the agency knew or should have known that it would not prevail on the merits when it brought the proceeding.
2. The administrative judge provided the appellant with notice of how to establish that attorney fees were warranted in the interest of justice and he correctly determined that she failed to make any argument on this point.
3. The appellant argued on review that this case "involved a finding" that the agency engaged in a prohibited personnel practice under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 2302(b)(12). The Board was not persuaded by this argument. The appellant failed to raise it below and, in any event, there was no such finding.
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COURT DECISIONS
NONPRECEDENTIAL:
Thurston v. Office of Personnel Management, 2024-1519 (Fed. Cir. November 15, 2024) (CH-844E-18-0480-I-1) (per curiam). The court affirmed the Board's decision affirming the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) reconsideration decision denying the petitioner's application for disability retirement benefits under Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), concluding that the Board had not erred in its disability determination by declining to provide the petitioner with a hearing on her appeal after she withdrew her hearing request, by concluding that her neck and back conditions were not included in her application, or by failing to consider the additional evidence the petitioner submitted with her petition for review.
Coppola v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022-2192 (Fed. Cir. November 18, 2024) (SF-1221-17-0027-M-2). The court affirmed the Board's decision denying the petitioner's request for corrective action in his individual right of action (IRA) appeal. The court found no error in the Board's findings that even though the petitioner proved his prima facie case of whistleblower retaliation, the agency nevertheless proved by clear and convincing evidence that it still would have terminated the petitioner from his temporary position and declined to select him for a permanent position even in the absence of his protected disclosures based, in part, on the strength of the agency's evidence supporting its decisions.
McLean v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024-1812 (Fed. Cir. November 19, 2024) (DE-1221-22-0142-W-2) (per curiam). The court affirmed the Board's decision denying the petitioner's request for corrective action in his IRA appeal. The court rejected the petitioner's allegations of factual and procedural errors in the Board's decision denying corrective action and determined that substantial evidence supported the Board's conclusion that the agency proved by clear and convincing evidence that it would have suspended and subsequently removed the petitioner following his loss of operating privileges in the absence of his protected whistleblowing activity. The court also found no error in the Board's finding that the petitioner had not been subjected to a personnel action in connection with his claim that he was restricted from working with and evaluating or instructing surgical residents.
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Original text here: https://www.mspb.gov/decisions/case_reports/Case_Report_November_22_2024.pdf
Kendall Provides Cadets a Portrait of Leaders, Their Qualities the Nation Needs for Today's Global Threats
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued the following news:
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- In a bracing speech to Air Force Academy cadets who are the service's future leaders, Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Nov. 12, did not mince words about the qualities necessary for strong leadership and why capable, insightful, moral leaders are more essential than ever in defense of the nation.
"I have been working for the last three and a half years to get the Department of the Air Force ready for the next war we may have to fight,"
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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, Nov. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued the following news:
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- In a bracing speech to Air Force Academy cadets who are the service's future leaders, Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Nov. 12, did not mince words about the qualities necessary for strong leadership and why capable, insightful, moral leaders are more essential than ever in defense of the nation.
"I have been working for the last three and a half years to get the Department of the Air Force ready for the next war we may have to fight,"Kendall said. "War is not inevitable. Deterrence will remain our goal, under any administration, but deterrence will not succeed unless we demonstrate that we are ready for war. Your job will be to help ensure deterrence is successful, and if it fails, to achieve victory."
"You may well have to lead in combat in a type of conflict with which we have no modern experience in the Air Force or Space Force or in the American military in general," he said during an address to the Cadet Wing in which he described in blunt terms the type of leaders the nation needs it a world overflowing with threats.
"You will have to lead Airmen and Guardians under the most stressful of operational conditions," he said. "While you are here at the Academy, you should do everything you can to prepare yourself to lead. Leading is always hard. Leading in combat requires the character to both know and do the right thing, the commitment to the country and the mission to put both above all else, the connection to your team to lead effectively, and most of all, the courage to move forward under any circumstance."
Kendall used the broad sweep of history and his own experience across 50 years of public and military service to illustrate the qualities presented by strong and fair leaders.
The 75-year-old Kendall said his parents' lives "were shaped by World War II" while Kendall's life and view of leadership were formed in the 1960s and 1970s when he attended West Point and served in the Army in Germany.
"Vietnam and the Cold War shaped my generation. I graduated from West Point as the war in Vietnam was ending. Upperclassmen that I had known were killed in Vietnam, especially from the classes of '68 and '69, including my regimental commander when I was a sophomore, what West Point calls a yearling, or a third degree here at USAFA," he said.
His sense of leadership and global threats were refined more when, as an Army officer, he was stationed on the "inner German border, waiting for a Soviet invasion that could have come at any time" and by the visceral, first-hand experience of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a child.
The nuclear age, he said, continues, as dangerous and volatile as ever. The connection to leadership then and now is direct and ever present. "You will have to serve and live under a nuclear threat. You will have the task of preventing the greatest imaginable catastrophe in human history," he said.
"Learning to lead is the central goal of everything you do here: military training, athletics, and academics," he said, stating an obvious truth. "The likelihood that you will have to lead in combat is high. The likelihood that you will have to do this early in your career is also high. The nation's military academies would not be worth the investment if they did not produce exceptional leaders ready to lead on day one."
While Kendall's prescription for strong, effective leaders was general, he also tailored remarks specifically to cadets of today and a circumstance that the institution is facing, and which Kendall says must be resolved - sexual assaults at the Academy.
Kendall noted that progress reducing the incidence of sexual assaults, including positive results from the "Let's Be Clear" program. Even so, "it is still unacceptably high."
"What does this have to do with war and leadership? Everything," Kendall told the cadets.
"As officers, you will have the responsibility to lead and earn the respect of everyone on your team, regardless of gender. You will be responsible, not just for your own conduct, but for that of everyone else under your authority. You cannot do that effectively if you tolerate a climate in which sexual assault or sexual harassment occurs."
And if the reason remained hidden at a time when the nation is facing challenges from a rising and determined China, a growing nuclear threat from North Korea as well as the historical and ongoing struggle with Russia, among others, Kendall made it clear.
"Our teams throughout the military depend on unit cohesion and trust to be effective. A climate in which sexual harassment or assault can occur will not have unit cohesion and trust.
"It's well known that when Soldiers go into battle, their greatest motivation to perform well is the fear that they will let their teammates down. You can't build that type of trust and devotion in an organization that permits disrespectful treatment based on gender or any other attribute," he said.
The stakes are high, Kendall said. And the danger is ever present.
"It is a safe bet that wars will continue to happen during your careers and that American interests, potentially vital American interests, even existential interests, could be at risk," Kendall said.
"One thing about war that does not change over time is the importance of leadership to success. One other thing that does not change is the difference between effective leadership and ineffective leadership," he said.
Kendall closed his remarks with the mantra that he has used throughout his tenure as Secretary of the Air Force; "One team, one fight."
A transcript of his full remarks (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/SecAF_USAFA_speech_12NOV24.pdf) can be found here.
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Original text here: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/NEWS/Article-Display/Article/3976429/kendall-provides-cadets-a-portrait-of-leaders-their-qualities-the-nation-needs/
BLS Mountain-Plains Region Issues Report Entitled 'Kansas Job Openings and Labor Turnover - September 2024'
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Nov. 23 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Nov. 22, 2024, entitled "Kansas Job Openings and Labor Turnover - September 2024":
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Kansas had 74,000 job openings in September 2024, compared to 72,000 openings in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the job openings rate in Kansas was 4.8 percent in September and 4.7 percent in the previous month. (See
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Nov. 23 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Mountain-Plains Regional Information Office issued the following report on Nov. 22, 2024, entitled "Kansas Job Openings and Labor Turnover - September 2024":
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Kansas had 74,000 job openings in September 2024, compared to 72,000 openings in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the job openings rate in Kansas was 4.8 percent in September and 4.7 percent in the previous month. (Seechart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.5 percent in September and 4.7 percent in August. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.
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Chart 1. Job openings as a percent of employment for the United States and Kansas, seasonally adjusted
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The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Kansas was 0.7 in September. Nationwide, 35 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in September that were lower than the national measure of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening; 9 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 6 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.
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Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, September 2024, seasonally adjusted
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In September, Kansas had 55,000 hires and 49,000 separations, compared to 47,000 hires and 56,000 separations in August. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in September, hires have averaged 50,000 per month and separations have averaged 51,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.
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Chart 2. Hires and total separations in Kansas, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
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Among the September separations in Kansas, 31,000 were quits and 15,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 34,000 quits and 18,000 layoffs and discharges in August. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 32,000 per month, ranging from 26,000 to 36,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 15,000 per month, ranging from 12,000 to 18,000.
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Chart 3. Quits and layoffs and discharges in Kansas, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
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The State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for October 2024 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. (CT).
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Technical Note
This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (https://www.bls.gov/jlt) (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology (https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata_methodology.htm).
Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:
* A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
* The job could start within 30 days.
* The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.
* The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS) (https://www.bls.gov/cps), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) (https://www.bls.gov/lau) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.
Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.
Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.
* Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
* Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
* Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.
Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.
Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jltst.tn.htm).
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Table 1. Job openings and labor turnover for Kansas, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Kansas, seasonally adjusted
Table 3. Job openings and labor turnover rates for the United States, seasonally adjusted
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/news-release/2024/jobopeningslaborturnover_kansas_20241122.htm
Air Force Culture and Language Center Academic Workshop
MONTGOMERY, Alabama, Nov. 23 -- Air University issued the following news:
By Senior Airman Evan Lichtenhan, Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Air Force Culture and Language Center hosted an academic workshop relating to the Russia-Ukraine war at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Nov. 12, 2024.
The workshop brought together professors and researchers from across the country to present papers relating to the conflict.
"The idea was to connect our center with the larger academic community about these issues that could be helpful to learn more about for Airmen across
... Show Full Article
MONTGOMERY, Alabama, Nov. 23 -- Air University issued the following news:
By Senior Airman Evan Lichtenhan, Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Air Force Culture and Language Center hosted an academic workshop relating to the Russia-Ukraine war at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Nov. 12, 2024.
The workshop brought together professors and researchers from across the country to present papers relating to the conflict.
"The idea was to connect our center with the larger academic community about these issues that could be helpful to learn more about for Airmen acrossthe Air Force," said Dr. Jacob Lassin, Assistant professor of Russian and East European regional and cultural studies and workshop coordinator. "Our Center has two sides, culture and language, so what we wanted to do was create an event that would expand AFCLC's reach and profile to local academics that work on Russia and Ukraine."
The workshop hosted professors and researchers from Harvard's Ukrainian Research Institute, Troy University, University of Alabama, University of South Alabama and Auburn University. Prior to the workshop, the attendees were asked to write papers following the topic of "The Cultural, Historical and Philosophical Underpinnings of the War in Ukraine," with the intent of being published in a volume from AU press, and to discuss each other's work. Their work and discussions intend to further advance the AFCLC mission of educating and training Airmen in subjects pertaining to culture and language.
"The AFCLC serves to prepare members of the Air Force with engagement with partner allies in various countries or adversary awareness in the realms of learning their language or using language as a means of building those relationships or being able to fulfil your mission better," said Lassin. "Also, cultural awareness and knowing what to do and not to do, what background information you need and what other factors may be important to keep in mind."
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Original text here: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/News/Display/Article/3976268/air-force-culture-and-language-center-academic-workshop/
