As the use of Executive Order mandated Forums starts up, the author asks if Agencies are ready to face union demands to bypass the Federal labor law. While the Order says “to help identify problems and propose solutions to better serve the public and agency missions”, is this a code for expanding the scope of Federal bargaining? Read and decide.
In the first major review of exceptions to arbitrator awards in 30 years, the Federal Labor Relations Authority proposes massive changes in the operation of the process. For better or worse? Compare the old regulations to the new in a side by side comparison. The author suggests the new regs may be the death knell for non-lawyers in the arbitration process and encourages advocates to comment.
The Federal government’s inside prosecutor of labor law violations is participating in the offer of free training on the Obama labor relations executive order. The author asks if anyone has considered the wisdom, propriety and risks involved in the training and suggests that one of those risks may involving compromising the FLRA’s integrity.
In what must have been a big surprise to the Department of Defense, the Federal Labor Relations Authority finds civilian access to commissaries and exchanges to be a negotiable working condition. The Author suggests a political payback may be involved in the decision. You be the judge.
Highlights from the Council meeting include approval of 24 implementation plans and return of 21. Permissive issue bargaining is apparently still a hot issue, and FLRA’s General Counsel and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service will offer joint training on the Executive order.
As Executive Order 13522 is implemented, career Federal execs face new challenges finding themselves sandwiched between political appointees with a series of agendas including making unions happy, and unions with great expectations of expanded influence. Walking that wire may be a very new experience for those who were not at the front in the Clinton years. The Author offers 10 morsels of food for thought.
A new decision appears to set up FLRA as arbiter of Agency efficiency and effectiveness.
The implementation plans for the President’s vision of Federal labor management relations are rolling in. Most tout their continuing commitment to getting along but exceedingly rare are commitments to bargain “permissive” topics. The biggest surprise is the submission by the Office of Personnel Management.
In 2003, the Federal Labor Relations Authority found that the Transportation Security Administrator had the absolute right to decide whether a union could represent TSA employees. The author asks what has changed except politics and whether a regional official can violate a legal precedent on his own. You be the judge.
The FLRA conducted Focus Groups in Washington on revising its regulations. This article reports the discussion at one of these sessions and provides information on FLRA’s decision to offer regional Focus Groups as well.
