Monthly Archives: August 2016

THE KABOOM!!! OPTION: WHEN UNIONS BARGAIN IRRESPONSIBLY After writing about what unions can do when an agency drags its feet in term bargaining, fairness demands that we also touch on what happens when the union negotiators bargain irresponsibly, e.g., they … Continue reading

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CHALLENGING AN ADVERSE REASSIGNMENT DECISION One of the appeal options an employee has when given (or denied) a reassignment is to claim that the decision was made for discriminatory reasons, e.g., race, gender, age, etc. But in order to prevail … Continue reading

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AFGE CELEBRATES AGAIN Most victories for unions are modest, like the one we posted below where AFGE was able to reverse an arbitrator’s ruling denying them attorney fees in a back pay case. But every once in a while unions … Continue reading

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NLRB & CIRCUIT COURT SMACK DOWN “NON-DISPARAGEMENT CLAUSES” Although it is rarely done in the federal government, private sector employers often impose “gag orders” on current and resigning employees in order to avoid a public airing of facts about how … Continue reading

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AFGE RESCUES ATTORNEY FEE CLAIM FROM ARBITRATOR ERROR Arbitrators are paid to make the final decision, but nothing guarantees that they make the right decision. In a new case out of FLRA, AFGE demonstrated its intimate knowledge of attorney fee … Continue reading

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GREAT NY TIMES ARTICLE ON THE DECLINE OF UNIONS We liked this piece particularly because of how well it explains how vital unions are to a democracy and their impact of national elections. It makes it crystal clear why certain … Continue reading

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WHAT IS A DISABILITY UNDER ADAAA & REHAB ACT? The Dept. of Justice is about to issue its new regulation defining a disability. That means it is time for EEO, ER and Union leaders to take a few minutes to … Continue reading

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NFFE LIGHTS UP AUO-FLSA DISTINCTIONS FOR LEO PERSONNEL What do you do if law enforcement officers in your unit are suddenly switched to AUO compensation for work that for years they had been paid FLSA overtime to do?  Our advice … Continue reading

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HOW UNIONS  FORFEIT MID-TERM BARGAINING RIGHTS Although FLRA has issued close to a half-dozen decisions upholding the concept described below, unions still are making the mistake that forfeits their right to bargain over mid-term changes.  So we thought we would … Continue reading

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HOW NOT TO DEAL WITH TROUBLESOME UNIT MEMBERS What’s a union leader to do when a non-member (or even a member) openly criticizes the union or one of its leaders in front of other bargaining unit employees during work time? … Continue reading

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