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.

ULP SETTLEMENT ALERTS PAGE When unions file ULP charges with the FLRA Office of the General Counsel, that office tries to settle a case before it takes the case to an Administrative Law Judge.  When the GC gets a good … Continue reading

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MSPB’S MR. MAGOO MOMENT While the Board’s core job is to make a decision based on the individual case facts before it, it is also expected to look a reasonable distance into the future when creating the precedents that will decide … Continue reading

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ANOTHER “CAT’S PAW” DISCRIMINATION VICTORY Is it possible to prove illegal EEO retaliation when the promotion selecting official had no knowledge that the an applicant she passed over ever had filed an EEO charge?  Yes, it is possible if you … Continue reading

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EXAMPLES OF PROHIBITED PERSONNEL PRACTICES Unions can grieve to enforce any of the law’s Prohibited Personnel Practice. We can include them in a grievance along with allegations that the contract was violated as well as that there was a ULP. … Continue reading

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USERRA VICTORIES Bargaining unit employees returning from active military service have rights that unions can enforce through their grievance-arbitration procedures.  Among the most important are that they must receive promotions and job offers that they would have received but for … Continue reading

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THE SETTLEMENT MOTIVATION One reason managers fail to settle grievances early is that they are unaware of the risks.  Although it would help everyone if agency leaders made them aware of the risk, unions carry some of the blame for … Continue reading

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HAIR! Many law enforcement agencies demand that their officer/agents be clear-shaven at all times because they believe, without a scintilla of evidence, that makes them more effective. But a large number of officers/agents believe that intrudes unnecessarily on their personal … Continue reading

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HOW TO VOID CRITICAL ELEMENT RATINGS Way back in the late 70’s agencies could only fire poor performing employees using the adverse actions statutes.  Managers complained that made it too hard because they had to prove their allegations by the … Continue reading

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THE APPROXIMATE REMEDY Too many arbitration cases have come before the FLRA where the union failed to ask for a tough enough remedy.  Often, it appears the union concluded that it would be too tough to prove precisely what would … Continue reading

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10 THINGS TO DO AT FORMAL MEETINGS Unions make serious mistakes when they fail to cover every formal meeting in their unit or when they fail to train their stewards in how to tap the full potential value of these … Continue reading

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