Author Archives: AdminUN

About AdminUN

FEDSMILL staff has over 40 years of federal sector labor relations experience on the union as well as management side of the table and even some time as a neutral.

NTEU’S JUNK YARD DOGS DIG UP EVEN MORE CBP MILLIONS Less than four months ago we wrote about how FLRA had upheld an arbitrator’s decisions awarding what likely will be over $100 million in back pay to Customs and Border … Continue reading

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR NTEU—AND YOU? There are two reasons why NTEU might have a big impact on your union soon.  First, it is about to install a new national leadership after 16 years under the current one. New leaders often … Continue reading

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UNDERSTANDING CATEGORY RATING SYSTEMS As we have said before, category rating is brimming with opportunities for agency HR and managers to abuse the process.  There are very few rules, and MSPB has consistently looked the other way so that there … Continue reading

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ASPERGER’S SYNDROME, THE INABILITY TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS & ADA        Some of us are shy, some are introverts, some of us have Asperger’s Syndrome and some of us have other conditions interfering with our ability to interact with others in … Continue reading

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WHEN PERFORMANCE AWARDS ARE DISCRETIONARY What’s a union to do when management distributes cash performance awards as it sees fit without any negotiated formal criteria?  A lot, even if the FSIP said the agency could do it that way. The … Continue reading

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UNION STAFF AS OFFICER CANDIDATES We were surprised by a reaction to a recent FEDSMILL posting noting that union staff or employees can run for national union office. So we thought we would do a quick review of the law … Continue reading

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WHICH BATHROOM FOR TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES? Here are the facts. Tamara Lusardi was working for the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  As a known transgender employee, the agency forced her to only use a single-use … Continue reading

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WHAT UNIONS DO WITH RETIREES, FORMER FEDS, & STAFF MEMBERS Individual federal sector unions have done different things with those who have retired from or otherwise left the federal government—or anyone else allowed to join who is not an active … Continue reading

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THE ADA AND TELEWORK A federal circuit court just issued a decision undercutting the right of employees to ask for telework as a “reasonable accommodation” for a disability.  But it is not as bad for disabled employees as a lot … Continue reading

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20+ FLRA PRECEDENTS UNION NEGOTIATORS MUST KNOW Collective bargaining is like a tennis match.  The two players repeatedly fire the ball at one another hoping to force a mistake, get an advantage, or just tire the other out.  Furthermore, the … Continue reading

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