DO YOU KNOW GINA?

Not that one. We are talking about the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA). It has been law for a few years and we hope many union reps have heard about it. But we worry that not very many at all know what a GINA violation looks like. One rule of thumb is that if the issue concerns a medical or mental condition and employee currently has or is thought to have that is typically a disability issue. If the issue concerns the potential for an employee or applicant having a medical or mental condition that is typically a GINA issue. Most labor agreements allow for the issue to be grieved; otherwise, pursue them through the EEO office. The two most common violations are requests for employee or applicant family medical history and demands for DNA swabs. If you want a far more thorough understanding of the law than we can provide, we recommend the 2016 posting, “A Brief Legal Overview of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.”

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.
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