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.

WHEN DECIDING OFFICIALS GO EX PARTE The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals just administered a major smack down to HUD when it let a deciding official (DO) talk to witnesses after management had issued its proposed termination letter. (See Rayland … Continue reading

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FMLA & SICK LEAVE RECORD RULES EEOC has very specific rules about where employee FMLA and sick leave medical documents can be stored. If the agency violates them, they may owe the employee money damages—as a recent Dept. of Justice … Continue reading

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BRAVO, FLRA, YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY!!! We just took a look at the latest version of the Authority’s annual report and what a difference it shows between how well the FLRA is managed today under Carol Waller Pope … Continue reading

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THE “COVERED-BY” DEFENSE MUTATES Those of you who have to deal with the “covered-by” defense to a bargaining demand should take a look at the most recent private sector decision.    It creates a third version of the doctrine that you … Continue reading

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LOOK AT WHAT THE NLRB JUST DID TO BARGAINING LAW Although only FLRA sets legal policy for federal sector bargaining, it tends to follow what the NLRB does for private sector employees.  Consequently, a recent Board decision might mean substantial … Continue reading

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CBP/DHS, LIKE A FISH, IS ROTTING FROM THE HEAD FIRST Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Service employees are among the country’s most vital feds. It is their job to stop terrorists and crooks from getting in while keeping out illegal … Continue reading

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DOL’s FINANCIAL CONTROLS TRAINING MANUAL FOR UNIONS There is an interesting documents sitting deep inside the Dept. of Labor’s web site. It is a training PowerPoint manual it prepared, apparently for AFGE, to explain what the law requires union elected … Continue reading

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SEQUESTRATION: WHAT UNION LEADERS NEED TO KNOW If we fall off the cliff, “sequestration” will be a word union leaders use often over the next few months. There are two documents you might want to be aware of at the … Continue reading

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MSPB CLARIFIES INDEFINITE SUSPENSION RULES The law gives management the right to put someone on an immediate, indefinite suspension if it believes the person is guilty of a criminal offense for which he/she may be imprisoned. Unfortunately, agencies are a … Continue reading

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EMPLOYEES CAN WITHDRAW RESIGNATIONS & DOWNGRADE REQUESTS At times, agency managers will pressure and even harass an employee to the point that he gives up and resigns or asks for a downgrade to an easier job.  Once the managers have … Continue reading

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