Pay for examiners at the USPTO

In the continuing story of problems for patent examiners at the USPTO, the most recent POPA newsletter has some interesting stories.

Previously, Ronald Stern had noted: "There is no problem hiring examiners. The problem is keeping them."

One item on the website:

USPTO Appeals Millennium Pay Decision

Management has decided to appeal the Arbitrator's decision in the Second Millennium Pay grievance. In his Commissioner's Corner column, Commissioner for Patents John Doll attempts to justify the appeal. POPA President Robert Budens provides POPA's response.

The lead story in the newsletter was headlined: arbitrator upholds special rate increase requirements. The story stated that an arbitrator found that the USPTO used "improper and illegal tactics" to avoid giving patent professionals a pay increase.

A separate story concerned an OCIO official saying the office needed to bring in "younger blood" with fresher ideas.

There was also a story on "second pair of eyes review" in TC 1600. There was apparently a compilation of lists of questionable patent examiners.

Previously on IPBiz:

As a separate matter, it may be that patent examiners are working unpaid overtime to keep up with output requirements. From http://www.popa.org/newsletters/aug05.shtml:
"Both my family and professional lives are suffering severely" from working many hours of unpaid overtime to maintain high production, the employee said.