Monthly Archives: April 2023

LOOKING BACK TO 2011 Fedsmill.com went live 12 years (and 1,300 posts) ago, which makes it easy to forget some of the information we thought union activists would want. So, we are going to reach back and resurrect posts from … Continue reading

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EMPLOYEE GETS $890,000 FOR SICK BUILDING EXPOSURE A Dep’t. of Agriculture employee informed the agency that the mold spores in the agency building were causing her significant health problems. When she asked for approval for full-time telework it took the … Continue reading

Posted in Reasonable Accommodations | Tagged | Leave a comment

THIS FLRA DECISION IS POPPYCOCK, DRIVEL, TWADDLE & TOSH A union grieved to block implementation of a new term agreement, portions of which were imposed by FSIP.   FLRA ruled that the union’s grievance was defective because it was “directly” challenging … Continue reading

Posted in Bargaining Law, FSIP | Tagged | 1 Comment

IF YOU ARE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF TELEWORK… think about the remedy you are requesting.  Whether citing a ULP violation for a failure to bargain to impasse before implementing telework reductions or some contract violation, the simple remedy is that … Continue reading

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THE CARE AND FEEDING OF ARBITRATORS If you understand how hard it is to keep goldfish thriving, then you know something about sustaining arbitrators.  They need constant care and attention throughout a case.  Ignore one tiny detail and your case … Continue reading

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STRIKING THE DELICATE BALANCE: RELIGION AND PRONOUNS Unions are not going to be able to sit back and watch employers struggle with this issue.  Sooner or later an LGBTQ+ member is going to wander into the union office asking for … Continue reading

Posted in Religion, Transgender | Tagged | 2 Comments

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO CONDUCT JOB INTERVIEWS Like it or not, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tsunami is only slightly off-shore and certain to roar through our lives shortly sweeping away so many of our traditions.  One of them is the job … Continue reading

Posted in Promotion/Hiring | Tagged | Leave a comment

UNIONS ARE MISSING OUT ON INTERIM TERMINATION RELIEF When a union takes an employee’s removal case to arbitration and wins, the agency typically will not reinstate the employee if it decides to file an appeal with the Federal Circuit court. … Continue reading

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