Monthly Archives: March 2017

HE JUST PUT THE “WHOOF” IN BARGAINING You gotta love political appointees.  Some of them are just so damn much fun to watch. We opened the Washington Post recently to find that Ryan Zinke, the new “top dog” at Interior … Continue reading

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FEDERAL COURT DENIES BACK PAY FOR 5 USC 6101 VIOLATION Elaine Kaplan is a very well-known and respected person around the federal sector.  Aside from a long tenure as a lawyer for a major federal union, she was the U. … Continue reading

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CAN UNIONS SACRIFICE RETIRED GRIEVANTS? Every so often we hear from a union officer trying to settle a grievance asking whether s/he can cut out of the deal anyone no longer in the unit, agency, or even federal government. For … Continue reading

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EEOC PUNISHES VA’S CHRONIC DELAYS QUESTION: What can you do when an agency simply fails to produce an EEO Report of Investigation more than 270 days after the complaint was filed? ANSWER: Celebrate.

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THE GOOD OLD DAYS BEFORE UNIONS If you are too young to remember them, don’t worry.  They are coming back fast. You soon will get to relive the thrill of low wages, little training, crushed limbs, 12 hour workdays and … Continue reading

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EMPLOYEE GETS $666.00 IN BACK PAY TO EXPRESS MILK Unless someone has been hiding under a rock in a faraway land without electricity the last few years, they have heard that employers have to provide break time and other accommodations … Continue reading

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PUSH-UPS, SMUSH-UPS. QUALIFICATION STANDARD UNENFORCEABLE Management can’t enforce physical fitness qualification standards for employees—unless they follow the law.  It is not hard to wander from the requirements, as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) did not long ago. That case … Continue reading

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NICE TOUCH, AFGE, AND THANKS, MARK ROTH Normally, in any political organization the system is designed to give all the credit for anything good that happens for the members to the top elected official. While there are some legitimate reasons … Continue reading

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SAY “THANKS, BUT NO THANKS” TO BACK PAY FROM FSIP OR INTEREST ARBITRATORS Few things make a union negotiator and members as happy as a Panel order that makes a pay increase retroactive. A fistful of cash relieves a lot … Continue reading

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TSA IS A VERY BRIGHT SPOT FOR ORGANIZED LABOR There is not a lot of good news about unions these days. Last week 75% of the employees in Boeing’s South Carolina plant voted against unionizing and membership continues to decline … Continue reading

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