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.

Posted on June 8, 2020 by AdminUN

IRS FOOLISHLY BARRED FROM PURSUING RICH TAX CHEATS Tax cheats are important to union officials because their theft is one of the major reasons feds do not get proper annual pay increases or enough staffing to do the job. The Dept. … Continue reading →

Posted in Lobbying | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on June 1, 2020 by AdminUN

UNION REP TEST #7 (Probationary Employee Rights) Newly hired probationary employees sometimes decide not to join the union because they think it cannot do a thing for them if they are fired.  They could not be more wrong about that. … Continue reading →

Posted in Probation Period, Union Rep Test | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on June 1, 2020 by AdminUN

IS ROCKET BARGAINING LEGAL? One of the two parties involved in negotiating a term agreement is usually far more eager to get the deal done ASAP than the other one.  When the FSIP is loaded with anti-union political operatives, rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargaining Tactics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on May 27, 2020 by AdminUN

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS HOG TIE AGENCY GROUND RULE NEGOTIATORS Traditionally, there are four things agencies want from unions when bargaining ground rules for reopening a term agreement. This is particularly true during times when the FSIP is heavily biased against … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargaining Law, Bargaining Tactics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on May 27, 2020 by AdminUN

ACCOMMODATING COVID-19 AT-RISK EMPLOYEES (EEOC GUIDANCE) We like to let our subscribers know when something pops up on the web that should be useful to them.  This piece, posted by the folks at California Dental Association, offers some practical advice … Continue reading →

Posted in Reasonable Accommodations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on May 22, 2020 by AdminUN

ARBITRATOR PRITZKER, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG    Malcolm Pritzker, an experienced DC arbitrator, recently ruled that an agency (SSA) violated the law by withholding information from the union (AALJ) during bargaining.  The agency withheld the information, sped the dispute to the FSIP, and got one of the Panel’s politically-patented anti-union decisions imposing working … Continue reading →

Posted in Arbitration, Remedies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on May 22, 2020 by AdminUN

UNION REP TEST #6 (FMLA) The COVID crisis is going to create a lot of traffic for union stewards from employees with an entire range of FMLA questions.  The web and other fed employee news sites currently are loaded with … Continue reading →

Posted in Union Rep Test | Tagged | 1 Comment

Posted on May 18, 2020 by AdminUN

WELL ISN’T THIS AN INTERESTING UNION COVID RESPONSE Some enterprising legal eagles in New York City just filed a class action lawsuit claiming that an employer must provide reasonable accommodations to employees at risk of catching COVID-19 at the job site.  Their … Continue reading →

Posted in Disability | Tagged | Leave a comment

Posted on May 18, 2020 by AdminUN

UNION REP TEST #5 (Negotiations –An Agency’s Specific Notice Obligation) We have said it often before.  The biggest process mistake management can make while bargaining is to violate this obligation, and aggressive enforcement of this obligation by the union increases … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargaining Law, Union Rep Test | Tagged | 1 Comment

Posted on May 11, 2020 by AdminUN

UNION REP TEST #4 (EEO- Medical Information Privacy) The rehabilitation Act prohibits managers from disclosing physical or mental medical information they have about an employee to anyone without a legitimate reason to know.  Nonetheless, managers repeatedly ignore the rule and … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Issues, Privacy, Union Rep Test | Tagged | Leave a comment