United States Department of Labor
This week, I’m proud to call your attention to The Washington Post’s recently published profile of the longest-serving employee at BLS. Ed Pratt started at BLS in 1956. Counting his 4 years in the military, Ed has 61 years of federal service. Serving as a supervisory information technology specialist, he is a key member of the team that produces the Consumer Price Index each month. As the article notes, “Pratt’s importance as a civil servant goes beyond the product he helps produce each month. His personal impact, the encouragement he gives co-workers, means more than he probably knows.” I am very grateful that Ed and so many other dedicated employees work here at BLS.
We also published the May issue of the Monthly Labor Review this week. It features an article examining how the job characteristics of workers who participate in defined contribution retirement plans are associated with changes over time in the workers’ contribution levels, especially whether they reduced their contributions during the 2007–2009 recession. The issue also includes an article examining trends in job openings, hires, and employment separations in 2012. Another article examines significant collective bargaining disputes in 2012. Finally, the May MLR includes an article about implementing the 2010 revisions to the Standard Occupational Classification system into the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics program.