YIKES! We all know what can happen when a dispute goes to a jury, but when the jury in this case gave the employee $168 million in damages for the harassment she suffered, it set what many lawyers are calling a record. Because most federal employees have the same right to put their case before a jury like she did, we thought you might want to know what caused the jury to do this. Maybe a member of your local has a similar case. Continue reading
What do you do for the probationary employee who calls you from home not only to tell that he resigned last week, but that he wants the union to get his job back? Extend your sympathies? Wish him luck? Tell him that he should have checked with the union before he made that decision? Continue reading
The Authority has just upheld an arbitrator’s decision (AFGE, 66 FLRA No. 100) which could mean retroactive overtime pay for a lot of federal employees. It all began when the Bureau of Prisons decided that it needed more elaborate procedures to ensure that overtime was paid only after necessary approval forms had been signed by authorized managers. Continue reading
If you represent members in FMLA matters, check out the America Bar Association’s latest overview of FMLA legal developments. It is free, very thorough, and likely leave to you with a deeper understanding of arguments to raise on behalf of your co-workers. The most relevant to the work most union reps do will be Chapter 6.V., dealing with what is required in a medical certification, and Chapter 10’s review of what constitutes FMLA Interference, Discrimination and Retaliation.