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.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT 29 U.S.C. 501(C) IS?  HINT: IT CAN SEND UNION LEADERS TO JAIL If union officials or staff take or receive any compensation or other benefit not properly “authorized” under the law, union constitution or bylaws, they … Continue reading

Posted in Union Administration | Tagged | Leave a comment

FURLOUGH MYSTERY SOLVED! “IT IS ALL ABOUT MSPB’s NEEDS” Why did the MSPB give employees virtually no right to challenge adverse actions  furloughs, leaving them vulnerable to thinly veiled disciplinary suspensions without the due process, political jockeying, and slush fund … Continue reading

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

BEWARE OF THIS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ERROR A manager at the National Institute of Health filed an EEO complainant alleging that she had been subject to gender and national origin harassment.  The agency offered to settle the dispute by giving her … Continue reading

Posted in Settlements | Tagged | Leave a comment

MSPB RECOGNIZE OGE DEFENSE TO DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) terminated a manager for “defalcation of obligations.”  The Board ordered the employee reinstated with back pay because FDIC ignored what we are going to call the “OGE … Continue reading

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

CONGRATS TO AFGE FOR MEMBERSHIP GROWTH According to the Dept. of Labor AFGE has increased the number of employees paying dues every year since 2000 when 197,000 federal employees were members.  Today, DOL reports AFGE has over 301,000 dues paying … Continue reading

Posted in Membership Building, Union Administration | Tagged | Leave a comment

MSPB EXHUMES ITS “MANIFEST ABSURDITY” DOCTRINE How ironic that just a few short months after stripping federal employees of any right to challenge the substance or design of a furlough, suddenly the Board is concerned with absurdities.  The case involved … Continue reading

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

PROMOTION SEGREGATION: OUT-OF-TOWNERS NEED NOT APPLY Can management refuse to even consider employee applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for a promotion vacancy?  For example, could it refuse to consider, rate and rank qualified employees because they were bald or vegetarians? How about … Continue reading

Posted in Promotion/Hiring | Tagged | Leave a comment

NTEU ADDS ANOTHER BARGAINING UNIT It has been a long time since the National Treasury Employees Union organized only employees of the Treasury department.  Today, it represents employees of dozens of federal agencies, and in the last few months has … Continue reading

Posted in Membership Building | Tagged | Leave a comment

AFGE’S WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW FILLS A GAP There is no shortage of publicly available newsletters covering federal employment issues.  However, AFGE has one that focuses on the news from the perspective of employees.  It is a very worthwhile source … Continue reading

Posted in Union Administration | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHAT DO SELECTING OFFICIALS OWE BQ CANDIDATES?  A LOT! Law requires selecting officials to explain to non-selected BQ promotion applicants why they were passed over. In fact, it requires them to be quite specific about why. See if you can … Continue reading

Posted in EEO/Discrimination, Information, Promotion/Hiring | Tagged | 1 Comment