GPO to Offer Employees Buyouts, Early Outs, as It Moves Towards Digital Publishing
WASHINGTON, DC—July 2, 2014—As the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) shifts toward publishing in digital formats and in response to the continuing decline of traditional printed products, the agency informed employees yesterday of its plan to send a request to Congress and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for authority to offer buyouts and early outs to the agency’s 1,850 employees. GPO’s goal is to achieve a personnel reduction of 100 positions or 5 percent of its workforce. Employees can be offered lump-sum payments up to $25,000 as an incentive to voluntarily separate from the agency. The actual amount of the payout is based on a formula. GPO will use current funds to conduct this program, which needs to be concluded by the end of the first quarter of FY 2015 to achieve the savings for the coming year. GPO management believes these reductions in personnel can be achieved without compromising the agency’s ability to carry out mission critical operations, including publishing support for Congress and Federal agencies and providing public access to Government information.
“Unlike most Federal agencies, GPO operates like a business, covering most of its costs through the income we earn for the provision of information products and services,” said Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks. “As the Government’s publisher, we’re committed to ensuring that our staffing and other requirements match our customers’ needs in this digital age.”
GPO successfully conducted a buyout/early out four years ago in 2011 that resulted in annual savings of about $24 million. Since 1980, GPO has reduced its workforce by 70 percent as the result of using new technologies, a rate of change unparalleled elsewhere among other Legislative Branch agencies, generating significant savings for the taxpayer.
About U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO)
GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through our Federal Digital System, partnerships with approximately 1,200 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program, and our secure online bookstore.
Source: GPO.