Monthly Archives: September 2016

DON’T LIKE THE FLRA DECISION? JUST SAY “NO F….ING WAY!” Fortunately for the effectiveness of the system, most losing parties accept an FLRA decision on exceptions to an arbitration award as final and implement the remedy. However, what can a … Continue reading

Posted in Arbitration, FLRA | Tagged | Leave a comment

IS ALL FAIR IN LOVE, WAR AND BARGAINING?        As Congress tightens the budgetary noose around the Executive Branch of government, union negotiators need to prepare for tougher arguments from management when the union proposes an agency fund its institutional travel and … Continue reading

Posted in Bargaining | Tagged | Leave a comment

CONGRATS TO NATCA ON COLLABORATION A big tip of our hat to NATCA for developing several videos explaining how its collaboration with the FFA works.   If you agency is struggling with the concept, these are a good source of ideas.

Posted in Collaboration | Tagged | 2 Comments

DO YOU USE FEDSMILL THESE 5 WAY? While we welcome those of you who just read our postings, we hope that most of you are squeezing everything out of Fedsmill.com that you can to build a strong labor-management process. Here … Continue reading

Posted in Other | Tagged | Leave a comment

WE DO NOT ADVISE DOING THIS, BUT … Most union reps know that when a manager orders an employee to do something the employee had better do it no matter how wrong the order is.  There is a collective bargaining … Continue reading

Posted in Discipline/Adverse Action | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHAT IF A CO-WORKER GETS YOU FIRED? Aside from hopefully momentary thoughts of physical revenge in the extreme, the average person may not realize that a childhood fable about a cat and chestnuts figures prominently in the answer. Have you … Continue reading

Posted in EEO/Discrimination | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHEN EMPLOYEES HAVE SEIZURES Whether a fed’s job involves driving, operating equipment or enforcing the law, seizures create serious, if not life-threatening, risks for the employee, co-workers, employer and public. So, what choice does an employer have when an employee … Continue reading

Posted in EEO/Disabilities | Tagged | Leave a comment

TEST YOURSELF: HOURS OF WORK {Revised} In this fictional scenario the employees regularly work from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. processing on-line applications for federal benefits. Each night the headquarters computer center downloads an inventory of cases to each employee’s … Continue reading

Posted in Hours of Work | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHO IS KILLING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ GOLDEN GOOSE? {Corrected Version} [Hint: Shakespeare recognized them early as a threat and recommended their immediate execution.] There is a golden goose tucked away in the federal civil service law that entitles federal employees … Continue reading

Posted in Attorney Fees | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHEN UNIONS GET PIGGISH If you have read Fedsmill.com for a while we hope the message has come through that we are not unquestioning allies of either unions or management. Admittedly, we started out very pro-union, but we were never … Continue reading

Posted in Overtime, Union Administration | Tagged | 1 Comment