THE RESUSCITATED “FAIR & EQUITABLE” CLAUSE
For the longest time FLRA has not let unions bargain a clause obligating agencies to apply their management rights in a “fair and equitable” manner. But, all that changed not long ago. Continue reading
GAGE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
AFGE’s National President John Gage announced his retirement this week in a letter he to the union’s members. Gage has been president of the federal sector’s largest union for nine years and during that time the union added 85,000 additional members. Not only was that about a 40% increase in the union’s dues-paying membership, but it is as many members as the next largest federal sector union, NTEU, has in toto over its 70-year history. John also led AFGE to a victory over NTEU in the TSA organizing campaign which puts the union in an excellent position to add thousands of more members over the next couple of years. Continue reading
FDIC FLIPS, FLOPS, FLAPS, & FLAILS
The FDIC leadership is currently doing its best impression of a fish tightly caught on the end of an angler’s line. It’s struggling mightily in a desperate attempt to break free of the hook NTEU has set in it and the almost inevitable outcome. But, given that our country entrusts these same FDIC executives with protecting the nation’s banking system, it is worrisome to see their chronically irrational decision-making playing out in NTEU and FDIC, 66 FLRA 696. This is not just some sporting spectacle. Continue reading
CONTRACTOR CHUTZPAH
CHUTZPAH-Definition: Nerve, Gall, Audacity. Private contractors doing government work are a lot of things. They are often more expensive than government, they are notorious for missing deadlines, and they have no shame about taking government work paid for by our country’s income tax collections and shipping some citizen’s income-producing job overseas. Yup! Contractors bring a lot of things to government, and another thing they bring is chutzpah. Despite shouting from the rooftops, soapboxes, and campaign contribution pedestals that they are cheaper than government, they just insisted on and got the right to increase what they charge the feds for the executives’ time from an annual rate of $693,951. To $763,029. That is almost four times what the top SES folks and cabinet officials earn a year to lead entire agencies. Continue reading
THE NTEU-AFGE RACE CONTINUES AT DHS
Not long ago we posted a piece entitled, “LR’s ‘Biggest Losers.”” It was about how the LR decision-making at DHS is so poor that NTEU has a .789 winning percentage against DHS and AFGE .761 percentage. That winning record would put them ahead of the 1927 “Murders’ Row” Yankee team that won 110 out of 154 games. So, here is an update on the May 13 posting. Continue reading
WINNING OVERTIME COMPENSATION GRIEVANCES
The FLRA is obligated to impose remedies that make employees whole for harm suffered due to contract violations or ULPs as well as impose remedies that discourage continued violations. It recently reminded everyone what employees and their union reps must prove to force management to compensate employees for lost overtime. Continue reading
Posted in Back Pay, Grievance/Arbitration, Pay/Grades/Steps
Tagged AFGE, arbitration, Overtime
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WHEN NOT TO GRIEVE WIGI DENIALS
In virtually every other situation, the rule of thumb is that the deadline for filing a grievance begins to run when the agency issues its written decision. But not when a WIGI is involved–and not knowing the WIGI rule cost one employee a lot of back pay. Continue reading
THE BEST OF FEDSMILL.COM—SO FAR
FEDSMILL.com just hit a milestone with its last posting. It was our 150th since we started last September. To mark the occasion, we thought you might appreciate a quick review of our best or most popular postings among the 150. Continue reading
BILINGUALISM AS A MANAGEMENT WEAPON
Bilingualism is a highly valued skill in our diverse society, but some managers over at the Social Security Administration have found a new use for it, namely as a weapon to retaliate against an employee. This is not the usual story of a bilingual employee being the one discriminated against, but of someone being punished for lacking the skill. Continue reading