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Federal Unions' Top Ten Goals for an Obama Presidency?

The List

HR Consultant
been there/done that
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:14 AM

Post Reply

Good job, Bob. An agency shop coupled with a requirement for new elections in bargaining units where there is currently less than 50% membership works for everyone. Presumably it would result in signifcant reductions in official time. No need to negotiate pay at the agency level - do it directly with the White house and Congress. Major priority for unions would be reversing contracting out to increase the pool of prospective members.

Re: The List

Drug Treatment Specialist
BOP
Thu Nov 6, 2008 9:54 AM
major reason why so many federal unions are below 50% is non-members are allowed to free ride (be covered under the contract) without paying a fair share fee. If they choose not want to be members, fine, but then why should have to represent them? That is just wrong. As you may guess, I take the position that employee unions help promote the efficiency of the service by instilling checks and balances and due process of law, but some managers would of course prefer "at will" type workplaces. People often do not consider what it best, just what is easiest.

Re: The List

worker bee
Fed Agency
Thu Nov 6, 2008 10:19 AM
What an interesting concept. What I have observed in two unionized agencies is that the union picks and chooses individuals to "go to the mat" for, and they tend to be the most lazy and useless. The other issue that keeps me from being a dues paying member - the union always supports Democrats even though not all members would choose to have their dues going to those individuals. Members are not even asked to weigh in on the use of their dues in elections.

Thanks, but I can think of a better way to use my salary than to defend the indefensible and support the unsupportable.

Re: The List

Analyst
GSA
Thu Nov 6, 2008 3:53 PM
Worker Bee You should do a little research before making such a statement. Federal union dues by law cannot be used for political contribution. Any support put forward is through the PAC and those contributions are voluntary.

Re: The List

NCFLL, V.P. OFCCP
USDOL/OFCCP
Fri Nov 7, 2008 9:13 AM
Mr. Gilson:

As usual your observations of Unions and who they represent seemingly oppose their rightful place and all the good that they also have accomplished for their membership.

It's too bad your Far Right slant prevents you from being neutral - but then you have never been neutral and of course...."that is my opinion and probably isn't yours"

Re: The List

Union Representative
U. S. Postal Service
Fri Nov 7, 2008 9:22 AM
Worker Bee-Not one single penny of "union dues" goes to any candidate or legislator-Democratic or Republican. That is prohibited by law. All money that is given to candidates and/or lesgislators is raised and donated by the membership outside the dues arena in the form of PAC money or COPA funds.

You are also misinformed that all the money raised solely goes to Democrats. That is not true either. The money goes to candidates or legistlators that support our agencies, public service work vs. privatization, and unions, etc. Most of the time it is Democrats who support these ideals, but not always.

As a union representative, I represent each individual equally, regardless if they are a scab or not. However, we generally don't waste our time on "gripes" that are not contractual violations. Individuals do get frustrated and think we are lazy and not going to bat for them because of this. We have no recourse or avenue to deal with issues that are not contractual violations.

NSPS

Accountant
Air Force/AFMC
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:40 AM

Post Reply

Many of us are hopeing the new administration will dump NSPS. It is not truely a performance based system and everyone knows those above us will hand out rating based on the curve...not on our performance.

There is plenty of higher ratings based on non performance factors and who know who, like who joined ASMC or who takes on the fund raising activities favored and encouraged by upper management-the brown nosers.

And on top of all that, NSPS ties our COLA to these ratings? There is no justification for tieing our COLA to the ratings and then have a portion of our COLA handed back to us through those ratings. Hell, if I'm retired I'll get 100% of the COLA and won't have to have any rating to get it. Horrible system full of holes and injustices. Back to the good old boys days and brown noseing.

Re: NSPS

Diversity Manager
DOL
Thu Nov 6, 2008 3:20 PM
Lets see here we have an accountant talking here about his COLA frighting!!!! I wonder what counting he does if he doesn't even know that he doesn't get a "COLA"

add to the list

retired
dod
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:42 AM

Post Reply

I have not heard anyone, unio or others say they feel they want to discontinue the efforts to bring NSPS on board. I has major flaws.
As a retired federal employee I have seen problems area and just plain stupid things going on. If the federal government has a say in it the Glass Ceiling will be coming back in full force under NSPS. The new Performance Based Pay system is going to cause numerous problems.
1). All of the future money in the form of your salary is dependent on the IPP. (Individual Performance Plan) We were told that there would be no COLA or step increases. If you are currently at the top of your step and you are not interested in a promotion to the next highest position you could go the rest of your government career without a pay raise.
2). It is the supervisor who makes up and determines what will have to be performed or completed to be considered Fully Successful or Outstanding. Some supervisors allow you to negotiate these elements while others do not. Each person with the same job title in the same office can and does have different IPPs. Therefore, your supervisor could be setting you up to fail or his buddy to succeed.
3). It is still the supervisor who decides if you have satisfied an element on your IPP. It is totally the supervisor’s judgment. If the supervisor likes you, you will do fine. If not you won’t get a raise.
4). At present all persons of the same grade and step get the same pay for the same job. This puts females a step above when they work for the federal government as compared to private industry…. Equality in Pay. Supervisors are not able to show favoritism to the male heads of household. They are not able to penalize a married female when it comes to a pay raise by saying that they don’t need the money because they have a husband.
5). Since everyone will be looking to get their fair share of the available funding they are going to try to make others look bad so they can get more of their share of the pay raise. You will start seeing people sabotaging people’s work and removing important documents from files. (This has already happened) There will be no reason for a person to be helpful with co-workers and share information. It will be every man and woman for him/herself.

I can see the hostility building. I have seen the negative side of the current pay system. I know I had no control over the favoritism that was shown to some employees. I felt that as long as I got my step increase and my yearly pay raise with COLA, I would be satisfied with that salary. If I was so fortunate to get some type of an award that would definitely be considered a bonus. I really don’t think that the planners of this new system realized the bag of worms that it could be opening up and the long term ramifications it can create. There was an article in the newspaper about this new systems and the firing of the U.S. attorneys’. Would you be willing to stand up for some injustices if your pay was at risk?

What it feel like

EMPLOYEE
FED GOVT
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:49 AM

Post Reply

Bob the writer, You sound like you did not take the right wing thumping like a man - sort of like I felt for the last EIGHT years, but there is some light for me now. I am sure the usual suspects who lop onto your bandwagon will respond in kind. They are all that have made me laugh over the last few years because they actually believe your scribe. Oh BTW, in my organization which is comprised of offices around the country, our union membership is 59% as of this morning and climbing. And ya know what Bob - we all work HARD for the american people. I won't tell you what we do, but be assured, you approeciate the hard work of union members because without them you have NO CHANCE of flying anywhere in this country - and no we are NOT air traffic controllers - not anymore..............and yes, I do remember the Clinton years and reforms not acheived. Perhaps we'll be more sucessful in acheiving work enviromnents that encourage top performance for America.

Re: What it feel like

Team Leader
SSA
Thu Nov 6, 2008 1:29 PM
Gee Mr. Employee Fed Gov:

You must have an important job. One that doesn't require a large vocabulary ("believe your scribe."???) What does this mean. Oh, you mean "screed?" Nor do you understand the use of a spel chekker.

Re: What it feel like

...........
FAA / DOT
Thu Nov 6, 2008 10:44 PM
It is well known that air traffic controllers are highly overpaid, pampered, and spoiled. Politicians ever since Reagan have bowed to the controller’s every wish. Reagan was unique in his courage. It is frightening to think what would have happened during the controller strike if almost any other president had been in office.

Re: What it feel like

EMPLOYEE
FED GOVT
Fri Nov 7, 2008 8:33 AM
For the SSA Team Lead - ya got me; you win! You came out of the shadows of the internet and whacked me. Do you feel like a man, or what are ya!. Let's see - what happened here, oh yeah - I was in a rush and forgot the S on "feels" and mistyped a couple words. See I did not take panzy typing in school - I took more MATH classes. And NO I did not mean screed - good word, but I really meant scribe - I must have a BIGGER dictionary than you. Now what I wonder is why are you more interested in my spelling errors than the subject itself. Could it be you lack the intelligence to grasp and respond to the SUBJECT. You waste my time "my friend"! Oh, and this is NOT spell checked either. Thanks for playing in my sandbox!

Re: What it feel like

Project Manager
DoD
Fri Nov 7, 2008 8:49 AM
Team Leader SSA. You need to review the dictionary. "Fed Employee" use of "Scribe" is over your head.

Re: What it feel like

Person
This one
Fri Nov 7, 2008 9:15 AM
Are you people seriously federal employees? Bickering like ignorant school children? I'd expect this on a yahoo site, but on here? Grow up people...the next 4 years will be tough enough, immature bickering isn't going to make it any easier.

Re: What it feel like

Analyst
DoD
Fri Nov 7, 2008 11:58 AM
Yeah, you are a typical air traffic controller: no technical degree required, able to call yourself "technical" only because you were lucky enough to win some job-lottery with specific training to enable you to read a computer screen and then command a big salary. If you really knew what you were doing, you would be flying. Bear in mind that you are expendable as proved once and might just get proved again. Go ahead, go on strike and give up your job, maybe you will qualify for the next free government sponsored job training that will put you on another gravy train. Oh, and by the way, get over George Bush, you and your ilk are as much of any problem as he is.

NSPS

Environmental Manager
DoD
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:57 AM

Post Reply

What about NSPS? Just wondering if the mood of the new administration and congress will lean towards eliminating the new personnel system instituted by Rumsfeld and Bush, and if the unions will push for its elimination?

Re: NSPS

Reformed Conservative
DFAS
Thu Nov 6, 2008 10:42 AM
Our local sent out a copy of a letter Obama had sent in reply to the head of another union inquiring about NSPS. In the letter, Obama said (I'm paraphrasing) that it appeared to be inherently unfair and he would either revise it substantially or dump it entirely.

Re: NSPS

Engineer
Air Force
Thu Nov 6, 2008 1:45 PM
In my opinion, NSPS seems be a path for many long time federal employees to get pay ABOVE the GS-12, step 10 level without getting GS-13 promotions. On the other hand, I see a group of supervisors that aren't allowed to do the real work of managing. They are spending 48 hours a week for 2 months writting Objectives, Self Assessment responses, and constantly meeting with 4 levels of management to decide how to divide pay increases. Thanks of the extra pay, but this system needs to be dumped!

Re: NSPS

Diversity Manager
DOL
Thu Nov 6, 2008 3:26 PM
NSPS is codified in public law so you would think Obama as an attorney would know its not something he can just Do Away with.
Remember with all the bad press that NSPS gets on these web site's DOD/NSPS gave the majority of their political donations to the Republicans it was the only agency to do so.

Re: NSPS

Reformed Conservative
DFAS
Fri Nov 7, 2008 7:13 AM
Under NSPS, every new SecDef can rewrite the system as he sees fit. So getting rid of it, or at least defanging it to the point it may as well not exist, goes like this:

Pres. Obama: Secretary Soandso, I'd like you to rewrite NSPS, eliminating these problems (blah blah blah blah blah).

Sec Soandso: Yes, sir, Mr. President. We'll get right on it.

Since few of the remaining Republicans are likely to be reckless enough to want to defend a personnel system associated with Bush (and, worse, Rumsfeld), the revisions will sail right through Congress and Obama will sign them.

Done and done.

Re: NSPS

Environmental Manager
DoD
Fri Nov 7, 2008 4:39 PM
I have always been told that NSPS has a "sunset clause" which says that NSPS will automatically expire in 2009 unless specifically reauthorized by congress. Without a vote to reauthorize it, it automatically goes away. When I ask, opinions are split 50/50 as to whether people think it will or won’t be reauthorized.

Re: NSPS

Diversity Manager
DOL
Fri Nov 7, 2008 7:06 PM
you must have had the abridged copy because he said that pay for performance was a concept he fully embraced . So NSPS is coming :)

Right or Wrong?

Engineer
DoD
Thu Nov 6, 2008 7:59 AM

Post Reply

The fact remains the priorities of AFGE and NTEU remain with their members and the officers they elect; and nobody else. Obama is not going to be a perfect candidate for Unions and their goals, but he was a better choice than an anti-union republican party. Unions still have a lot of work to accomplish in lobbying for their agenda. Obama is not going to roll-over for Unions. Will Unions get everything, most likely not. What Unions get from Obama will have a direct corrolation withthe value Fed Unions were to the Obama campaign. The spoils of war, as they say. Unions worked hard for their members over the last 8 years.

Rank The Goals?

Billy Shears
Apple
Thu Nov 6, 2008 8:10 AM

Post Reply

Not me. I never could figger out unions.

Agency shop. Would be ok if all bargaining units got to vote again if they wanted representation given the change in the ground rules.

I think Bob stayed up too late watching election returns and has not caught up with his sleep if he thinks joining a union on an individual basis and trying to influence it would make a difference. I know that he has not forgotten that unions are not democracies but are driven by the machine. Welcome to the machine. Wait a minute. That was a song done by a rival band. Nevermind. Oh no. That was a huge album. Peace. Back to signing autographs.

Re: Rank The Goals?

usda
worker
Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:44 PM
"Remember, trade unionism is the extension of Democracy to the workplace"
Total Comments: 79
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