Monthly Archives: February 2023

THE NEXT STEPS FOR COVID-TRIGGERED EDP/HDP We have no idea what is going on in the conference rooms of the lawyers who just lost the case that denies most feds the right to extra compensation based on prolonged exposure to … Continue reading

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MSPB BURIES RELIGIOUS COVID MASK PROTESTOR A GS-6 Pharmacy Technician refused to wear a mask around the workplace during the COVID epidemic despite an agency order issued in November 2020. It required that they be worn everywhere on the premises … Continue reading

Posted in Discipline/Adverse Action | Tagged | 1 Comment

BARGAINING I&I OVER SHUTDOWN FURLOUGHS Although it makes no sense outside the world of “stir-up-the-base-and-its contributions” politics, the odds are increasing that federal employees will have to endure shutdown furloughs once again in the near future. Consequently, if your union … Continue reading

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NO ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENTIAL PAY (EDP) FOR COVID EXPOSURE Not sure why the union chose to take this case to the generally anti-employee Federal Circuit Court rather than to arbitration. Afterall, arbitrators have ordered EDP and the FLRA has upheld those orders. But … Continue reading

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FLRA’S BIZARRE VALENTINES DAY GIFT FLRA slipped a bizarre gift under our L-M community pillow on the eve of Valentines’ Day. It held that unions can be obligated to reopen and modify existing term bargaining ground rules agreements in the … Continue reading

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FLRA BOOSTS TELEWORK REMEDIES   Few things are as frustrating as winning a grievance, arbitration or ULP only to find that the sole remedy imposed is an order that management not violate the law or contract again.  FLRA claims that remedies should … Continue reading

Posted in Telework | Tagged | 1 Comment

GRIEVING NON-SELECTION FOR PROMOTION (Part 1) Ask a manager if you can grieve non-selection from a BQ list and you are likely to hear that you can’t. Some of them will even quote part of a federal regulation that bars … Continue reading

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A RELIGIOUS WAR IS COMING TO YOUR OFFICE SOON Later this year it is all but certain that union reps’ lives will be a little more complicated—and maybe a lot more. The Supreme Court is all but certain to substantially … Continue reading

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DO IT LIKE BEZOS DID Those looking to build membership in their union can learn a very important lesson from recalling how Jeff Bezos built Amazon from a single product bookstore into a mega-retailer. The short answer is that while … Continue reading

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