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.

MANAGEMENT’S IMPERIAL VIEW OF ITSELF We don’t hate management; in fact, we believe that both labor and management need to be very skilled at what they do to create a satisfying, effective workplace. But it does raise the hairs on … Continue reading

Posted in Reasonable Accommodations | Tagged | Leave a comment

YOU CAN KEEP TELEWORK IF YOU HAVE A COMPELLING REASON YUP! There is a way to wiggle out from under the Trump Administration efforts to punish federal employees for not voting for them. FEDWEEK just published a story you should … Continue reading

Posted in Flexiplace, Telework | Tagged | Leave a comment

AN INTERESTING DECISION ABOUT MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY The Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) posted a press release in late December announcing that it was ordering two SES Executives suspended for 30 & 36 days. OSC found that they committed prohibited personnel practices … Continue reading

Posted in Discipline/Adverse Action, Prohibited Personnel Practice | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHEN WILL COURTS REVIEW FLRA’S EXCEPTION DECISION INVOLVING A GRIEVANCE? Courts generally are not permitted to review the Authority’s decisions involving exceptions to grievance arbitration awards.  But there is an exception to that rule, i.e., when the FLRA exception decision … Continue reading

Posted in FLRA, Grievance/Arbitration, ULPs | Leave a comment

FIRE UP THOSE NEGOTIABILITY DISPUTES NOW During the last Trump administration his FLRA appointees savaged decades of FLRA and judicial case law. They not only overturned about 20 important precedents, but they did so by replacing reasonably objective criteria for … Continue reading

Posted in FLRA | Tagged | 2 Comments

DON’T BET AGAINST THIS HAPPENING NEAR YOU Somewhere early in the next White House Administration some probationary employee is going to be fired because Team Trump thinks the employee does not support the new President’s political views or because some … Continue reading

Posted in Probation Period | Tagged | Leave a comment

THE STATUTE AND CASE LAW DECISION YOUR UNION WILL NEVER EVER TELL YOU ABOUT Every union member has a critically important right that their union prays the member knows nothing about.  Back in 1959 a law “was enacted after lengthy … Continue reading

Posted in Reports/Finances | Tagged | Leave a comment

IT IS “FOLLOW THE UNION MONEY” TIME AGAIN Want to know how your union is spending dues money, e.g., who is getting paid what, which outside contractors-consultants-counsels have been hired, how often the union went to arbitration last year, etc.? … Continue reading

Posted in Union Administration | Tagged | Leave a comment

FMLA TO CARE FOR SIBLINGS? We have said it before and will say it again.  Fedsmill is not a legal advisor.  We will leave that to your union lawyers. Fedsmill, on the other hand,  advocate for things that help federal … Continue reading

Posted in FMLA | Tagged | Leave a comment

A “TIGHTY WHITEY” AND WORKPLACE RETALIATION We have written about the advantages of alleging reprisal/retaliation claims whenever you represent an employe complaining about workplace harassment. Check out this January 2023 post. But it never hurts to remind reps of that, … Continue reading

Posted in EEO Harassment, Retaliation | Tagged | Leave a comment