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.

WHO IS KILLING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ GOLDEN GOOSE? {Corrected Version} [Hint: Shakespeare recognized them early as a threat and recommended their immediate execution.] There is a golden goose tucked away in the federal civil service law that entitles federal employees … Continue reading

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WHEN UNIONS GET PIGGISH If you have read Fedsmill.com for a while we hope the message has come through that we are not unquestioning allies of either unions or management. Admittedly, we started out very pro-union, but we were never … Continue reading

Posted in Overtime, Union Administration | Tagged | 1 Comment

THANKS, AFGE. GREAT TRAINING IDEA Maybe it due to its philosophy of inclusion, its values around openness, its bigger-than-all-the-rest-combined size, its enormous occupational complexity, or a few other things. But whatever brought it about it is a good deal for anyone … Continue reading

Posted in Bargaining, Training | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHAT IS A GRIEVANCE RECOVERY PERIOD? The FLRA has said that it “specifically distinguished between contractual back pay recovery periods and contractual time periods for filing grievances.” Consequently, we practitioners had better know the difference, particularly  negotiators when they sit … Continue reading

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THE ONE-EYE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER APPLICANT GETS 8 YEARS BACK PAY Back in 2008, Emiko applied for an Air Traffic Controller position and was selected contingent upon a medical exam and background check. When she completed her medical forms, she … Continue reading

Posted in Disability, EEO/Remedies | Tagged | Leave a comment

WHAT CONSTITUTES “COLLECTIVE BARGAINING?”  DO YOU REALLY KNOW? Here are the facts of an interesting scenario that union negotiators need to watch out for.  The agency gave the union formal notice of a proposed change in working conditions. When the … Continue reading

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ADVERSE ACTION QUIZ: WHO IS BETTER OFF? Assume that two employees get 15-day adverse action suspensions, their union takes each case to arbitration, and both suspensions are overturned. One employee, Smith, had his adverse action overturned and reduced to a … Continue reading

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

TEST YOURSELF: EEO RETALIATION Which of the following are considered to be examples of illegal management retaliation against an employee who has engaged in protected activity under the civil rights laws: work-related threats, warnings, or reprimands; negative or lowered evaluations; … Continue reading

Posted in Retaliation | Tagged | 1 Comment

THE KABOOM!!! OPTION: WHEN UNIONS BARGAIN IRRESPONSIBLY After writing about what unions can do when an agency drags its feet in term bargaining, fairness demands that we also touch on what happens when the union negotiators bargain irresponsibly, e.g., they … Continue reading

Posted in Bargaining Impasse, Bargaining Law, Strategy/tactics | Tagged | Leave a comment

CHALLENGING AN ADVERSE REASSIGNMENT DECISION One of the appeal options an employee has when given (or denied) a reassignment is to claim that the decision was made for discriminatory reasons, e.g., race, gender, age, etc. But in order to prevail … Continue reading

Posted in EEO/Discrimination, Reassignments | Tagged | Leave a comment