STEWARD ALERT! A recent MSPB decision gives unions a valuable precedent to use when defending employee against discipline or removal. In this case (Raco v. SSA, (9/29/11)), the agency removed the employee for 22 alleged incidents of incorrectly completing her credit hour time card. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! In October, FEDSMILL.com published an article entitled, “EEOC To Managers: Zip It!” It was about various laws that prohibit managers from discussing publicly what they know about an employee’s medical or mental disability. We made the point that a comment is public if made to anyone (or a group) without a legitimate need to know, or where it can be overheard by folks without a need to know. We reprint that article below, but precede it with the latest case in this line of law. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! Almost every time someone is promoted other applicants get passed over. Often, the passed over applicants feel they were just as qualified or even better qualified than the selectee. Sometimes they even feel that the selecting official did not give them fair consideration. Well, if you are one of those people, then your union might be able to help. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! Sexual harassment is a well-known and well-litigated matter. Mainstream media write about it often and most employers have policies prohibiting it. But how many have heard of “age harassment” or an age-hostile work environment? Here is what it is about. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! Virtually everything that comes out of the FLRA loudly broadcasts that management can assign any work it wants to an employee and there is little to nothing the union can do about that. It is a management right. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! Disabled employees now have a little more reason to expect that their employer may be required to help them commute to and from work when their disability makes that very difficult or impossible. One U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just instructed a lower court that the right to a reasonable accommodation can extend to commuting to and from the job. Generally, courts have not done that. Continue reading
Martindale.com reports that 27,160 lawyers in this country make a living practicing labor or employment law. So, no one should think that our workforce has lost its interest in employee rights and representation. There is a major market for employee representation, and unions should be asking themselves why employees have turned to very expensive private attorneys for help rather than to unions. Continue reading
MEMBER ALERT! OPM finally issued regulations spelling out when federal employees are entitled to use FMLA leave to deal with military-related situations in the family. Family includes an employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent. The specific situations for which leave are allowed are called “qualifying exigencies” (5CFR 630.1204) and are paraphrased below. Continue reading