AFGE Local 1881

(WASHINGTON) - In his first formal meeting with union leadership, TSA Administrator John Pistole met today with American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage to discuss collective bargaining and other workplace issues including PASS.

"On behalf of our more than 12,000 dues-paying members, the entire 40,000 Transportation Security Officers, 262,000 AFGE members, and 13 million AFL-CIO union members, I was very pleased to sit down with Administrator Pistole and share with him the role that collective bargaining plays in stabilizing the federal workplace," President Gage said. "AFGE's long history of representing federal employees in a variety of agencies and law enforcement jobs is unprecedented. I truly hope that our meeting has helped the administrator recognize how much value is added to workplace efficiency and stability when the employees have true input into the process."

President Gage emphasized the need for due process as it is the foundation for stability that allows employees to do their jobs. He also stressed the urgent need for collective bargaining rights for the entire TSA workforce. As he promised the Senate in his confirmation hearings, Pistole is conducting animpact assessment of how bargaining rights would impact the agency?s ability to perform its mission.

"I encouraged Pistole to look closely at the other areas in the government - Bureau of Prisons, DOD police and firefighters and Border Patrol Officers - where collective bargaining has been in place for decades," President Gage said. "There is simply no evidence to support the notion that collective bargaining has a negative impact on national security. When the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked, it was unionized firefighters and police officers who rushed into harm's way to rescue as many people as they could. These brave public servants did not pause or hesitate. They did not consult their union contract. They did not give the first thought to their own health or safety. They did their jobs and they did so with pride and professionalism. As the union of choice for TSOs across the country, AFGE looks forward to many more productive meetings with Administrator Pistole."

AFGE has represented the TSA workforce since the agency was created in 2001. The union currently has more than 12,000 dues-paying TSA members in 38 union Locals nationwide. AFGE is the only AFL-CIO affiliated union that represents TSOs.

WASHINGTON—A recent outbreak of violence at Federal Correctional Institution – Ray Brook in upstate New York has led the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and its Council of Prison Locals (CPL) to once again request immediate action from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to correct the dangerous situation of understaffed and underfunded federal prisons. According to AFGE Local 3882 officials, two gang-related incidents led to the hospitalization of one inmate and the near-assault of a correctional officer. Despite the violence, prison management mostly kept operations running normally.

“The warden’s refusal to lock down FCI – Ray Brook in the wake of this violence is nothing more than a dismissal of reality,” said CPL President Bryan Lowry. “Management continues to turn a blind eye toward dangerous situations that put correctional officers, inmates, and the surrounding communities at risk, while categorizing each instance as an isolated incident. The union believes this is management’s attempt to lessen the seriousness of each occurrence.”

Members of the Council of Prison Locals have testified on Capitol Hill regarding the dangers of working in understaffed and underfunded federal prisons. The union has repeatedly asked for additional staff and the proper use of appropriated funds to ensure the safety and security of the nation’s federal prison system.

Specifically, CPL wants BOP to:

• Fully staff and fund its prisons – Right now the inmate-to-staff ratio is 150:1 on most correctional assignments and too often can be as high as 300:1. Correctional officers are unarmed inside the facility.

• Responsibly issue stab-resistant vests to correctional officers – Assaults on officers with homemade weapons have spiked in recent years.

• Issue pepper spray to correctional staff – This less lethal weaponry would provide correctional officers the ability to protect themselves when violent outbreaks occur, and more easily restore order to the facility.

• Continue the Federal Prison Industries (FPI) program – FPI recently announced it would eliminate factories at nine facilities, downsize operations at three additional locations, and reduce personnel at eight more locations throughout the country – a move that union officials say could lead to potential violence at facilities with hundreds of idle inmates.

The FPI prison inmate work program is an important management tool that federal correctional officers and staff use to deal with the huge increase in the BOP prison inmate population. It helps keep 16,115 prison inmates, down from 23,152 two years ago, productively occupied in labor-intensive activities, thereby reducing inmate idleness and the violence associated with that idleness. It also provides strong incentives to encourage good inmate behavior, as those who want to work in FPI factories must maintain a record of good behavior and must have completed high school or be making steady progress toward a General Education Degree (GED).

“The days of ‘doing more with less’ must end,” added Lowry. “If management continues to operate the BOP under its current conditions – understaffed, overcrowded, and with an increasingly violent inmate population – more tragic incidents are sure to follow.”

For more information on assaults throughout the BOP, go to www.cpl33.info

Listen Here

(Washington) - The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 600,000 federal and District of Columbia public employees, today, launched an ad campaign targeting D.C.’s mayor.

In the “We Have a Problem with Our Boss,” 60 second radio spot, the public employee union details attacks against city employees brought forth by the mayor, including eliminating the Department of Public Recreation’s child care services agency.

The ad also chastises the mayor for a failure to nominate members to the Public Employee Review Board, which resolves disputes between public employees and the city. This year the mayor attempted to effectively eliminate the agency in his proposed budget.

“Public employees in the District of Columbia are in a fight to protect their jobs, their most basic civil service protections, and their dignity,” said Dwight Bowman, AFGE 14th district national vice-president, which represents federal and D.C. employees in Washington Metropolitan area. “This radio campaign is an articulation of those concerns.”

In addition to the radio ad, AFGE has launched a viral campaign through several YouTube videos, called “Life Sure is Good for the Teddy Bears.” In the videos, the union connects the mayor’s decision to close free daycare for city residents and the funneling of multi-million dollar contracts to his fraternity brothers through the Department of Parks and Recreation, without D.C. City Council approval.

“The mayor and his administration have consistently shown themselves to favor the wealthy and well connected, while also promoting policies that disadvantage working families across the District of Columbia,” said Bowman.

(WASHINGTON) -- The American Federation of Government Employees is seeking clarification from the Defense Department regarding Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ announcement earlier this week that the department is reversing plans to replace contractors with full-time civilian employees.

In an attempt to save money and reduce excessive reliance on expensive service contractors, Gates last year said he would cut the number of service support contractors by 33,000 during the next five years and replace them with federal employees. But on Monday, Gates said these cut contractor positions will not be replaced.

Gates said he was not satisfied with how much money DoD has saved through insourcing during the first year of implementation. However, because the department has not yet conducted a full inventory of its contractor workforce and integrated those results into the budget process, as required by law, it is unable to determine the costs and savings from insourcing.

Savings from insourcing are more than offset by new service support contracts. DoD says it spent 39 percent of its total workforce budget on service support and advisory contractors in 2009, up from 26 percent in 2000.

“The department’s budget is in critical condition because of decades of excessive privatization,” said AFGE National President John Gage. “Surely, we should not give up on the promising but short-lived insourcing effort after just one year.”

Gage said he will be seeking clarification from the Defense Department about its insourcing plans, as well as announced plans to eliminate three Defense agencies and freeze hiring for most jobs.

AFGE will work with Congress and the department to ensure that DoD continues to be able to hire civilian employees to perform critical and sensitive functions that never should have been outsourced, as well as functions that can be performed more efficiently in-house, he said.

(WASHINGTON)—The American Federation of Government Employees—the largest union within the Department of Homeland Security—today applauded final passage of the Southwest Border Security Bill, which included measures to add a combined 1,200 agents at Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“AFGE has long argued for more staffing and funding at both Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” AFGE National President John Gage said. “We applaud members of Congress for working so quickly at getting this bill put through, and President Obama for quickly signing it into law.”

The bill will add 1,000 Border Patrol agents, 200 special agents, investigators and intelligence analysts at ICE, and additional funding throughout the agency.

“It is essential for every DHS agency to have the staffing and funded needed to carry out their mission of securing this nation,” Gage added. “AFGE is glad that Border Patrol and ICE will get some relief in this sense, and are encouraged by the speed in which the bill was carried through.”

Listen Now!

(WASHINGTON) - The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 600,000 workers in 75 different federal and DC government agencies, today, launched a nationwide radio ad campaign reminding listeners of how many areas of their lives are served by government employees.

The 60 second radio spot features John Gage, AFGE national president, along with several AFGE members who work in the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration.

Over the past 18 months there has been a real push by some politicians and media talking heads to demonize federal employees. That kind of recklessness speech has fueled a dangerous atmosphere targeting federal workers,” said Gage. “In reality, federal workers provide many of the services that highlight America’s greatness.

The ad is an attempt by the union to humanize federal workers, who have frequently been scapegoated for the nation’s fiscal problems. “Whenever there is a fiscal crunch there are always those who hastily call for a reduction of federal employees,” said Gage. “We want people to know what those irresponsible ploys really mean. They mean reductions in social security for our seniors. They mean reduced services for our veterans. And, they mean fewer guards at our federal prisons. The men and women of the federal service are not nameless, faceless bureaucrats. They’re what hold our nation together.”

Far too often, the narrative of federal service is dictated by those whose political disposition is to destroy it or weaken it beyond recognition. AFGE has launched this campaign to confront that message. “As the voice of so many federal workers, it is our responsibility to bring some clarity,” said Gage. “Now more than ever, our nation needs responsible, sober-minded federal professionals and a quality government that is responsive to the needs of the American people.”

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved legislation clarifying the right of VA health care professionals to grieve and negotiate over some compensation disputes. The committee’s vote was cheered by the American Federation of Government Employees, AFGE, which represents over 200,000 VA employees, most of whom work in the Veterans Healthcare Administration, VHA.

The union applauded Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who introduced the language as an amendment at the August 5th mark up of the Senate VA Committee. Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Roland Burris (D-IL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jim Webb, (D-VA), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mark Begich (D-AK), signed on to the legislation as cosponsors.

“VA health care professionals are committed men and women, who have chosen to dedicate their careers serving those who’ve sacrificed for our nation,” said J. David Cox, AFGE national secretary-treasurer and a former VA nurse for over 23 years. “They deserve the ability to seek redress when pay laws and regulations are not followed, just like their counterparts in other federally-run medical facilities.”

Under current law, VA health care professionals classified as Title 38 employees, do not have the same rights as their counterparts in the Department of Defense or Bureau of Prisons to use their bargaining rights to enforce pay laws and regulations. The current law hampers VA doctors, dentists, registered nurses, physicians’ assistants, chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, and dental auxiliaries from exercising their collective bargaining rights when management withholds overtime or weekend premium pay, or wage survey data or does not properly implement performance pay systems enacted by Congress.

Senator Brown’s amendment will allow unions representing Title 38 VA employees to negotiate over some compensation matters, similar to the bargaining rights of Title 5 VA and DoD clinicians. Contrary to some claims put forth by the agency, however, the amendment does not give employees the right to bargain over basic rates of pay, which are set by Congress.

“This bill is not and will never be about interfering with Congress’ right to set federal pay,” said Alma Lee, president of AFGE’s National VA Council. “It is entirely about allowing VA healthcare professionals to exercise their congressionally mandated rights to bargain over other types of compensation.”

In addition to providing equity between Title 38 VA health care professionals and their counterparts in other agencies, the legislation will level the playing field for Title 38 and Title 5 employees in the same agency. Without passage of this legislation, VA employees working side by side lack equal rights. For example, registered nurses cannot enforce their rights to overtime pay while licensed practical nurses have that right. Likewise, VA psychiatrists have no recourse when pay rules are violated, yet VA psychologists working in the same mental health settings have the ability to exercise their collective bargaining rights under Title 5.

The bill could also have benefits with respect to the VA’s ability to recruit and retain quality talent. “In the fierce marketplace for top talent, the VA must be able to compete with the lure of the private sector, where pay and benefits far exceed those in the federal government” said Cox.

“If employees cannot force the VA to comply with the pay laws and regulations that are in place Local VA human resources personnel will continue to abuse ambiguity in the law, undermining the VA’s ability to be a competitive employer,” said Lee.

The legislation will now be sent to the full Senate for a vote. Companion legislation HR 5543 was previously introduced in the House VA Committee by Chairman Bob Filner, (D-CA). The House VA Committee plans to hold a hearing on the legislation following the summer recess.

WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees commended President Obama’s recent Executive Order to increase federal employment of individuals with disabilities, “AFGE commends President Obama for taking this important step forward in reducing discrimination of people with disabilities and helping to eradicate the stigma associated with disabilities,” said AFGE National Vice President for Women’s and Fair Practices Augusta Thomas. “We also are pleased that this administration has recognized the importance of the nation’s largest employer becoming the model in which other public and private sector business can use for the employment of people with disabilities.

According to the Executive Order, approximately 54 million Americans are living with a disability yet they have an employment rate far lower than that of those with no disability, and are underrepresented in the federal workforce. Individuals with disabilities represent just over 5 percent of the nearly 2.5 million people in the federal workforce.

“The employment of people with disabilities has stagnated in the 20 years since the Americans with Disabilities was enacted,” said Thomas. “By designing new recruitment and hiring strategies, providing reasonable accommodations, increasing access to accessible technologies and ensuring the accessibility of physical and virtual workspaces, the admirable goal of increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in the federal workforce can finally be met.”

AFGE thanks Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Richard Durbin (D-IL) for including provisions in the FY11 Financial Services Appropriations Bill that would

1. promote federal employee performance of closely associated with inherently governmental functions,
2. improve reliability of service contractor inventories, and
3. ensure equitable treatment of federal employees and contractors with respect to performance of functions that need not necessarily be performed in-house.

AFGE also thanks Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) for working with Chairman Durbin to include these reforms in this year’s funding measure.

“Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Durbin and Senator Mikulski, all non-DoD agencies were required through the FY10 Financial Services Appropriations Bill to establish service contractor inventories,” said AFGE National President John Gage. “This requirement was based on an earlier contractor inventory requirement established for the Department of Defense in the FY08 National Defense Authorization Act. Chairman Durbin’s bill would ensure that the same standard that applies to DoD with respect to federal employee performance of closely associated with inherently governmental functions also applies to non-DoD agencies—that such functions should be performed to the maximum extent possible by reliable and experienced federal employees. Examples of `closely associated’ functions include overseeing and evaluating contractors, preparing budgets and reorganizations, and interpreting and developing regulations. Only the most egregiously irresponsible contractors could possibly oppose such a reform.

“Other Durbin-Mikulski reforms ensure that agencies’ contractor inventories include services procured through task orders and use actual data, as opposed to crude guesstimates,” continued Gage. “Contractors and their cronies in the executive branch know that increased visibility will inevitably lead to increased accountability, particularly during tighter budgets, which is why they so strenuously oppose implementation of the inventories. However, reliable and comprehensive contractor inventories promote good management and ensure that agencies can generate savings from their vast contractor workforces instead of just their in-house workforces. That the executive branch is not in compliance with the inventory requirement is, in large part, because of the lack of any leadership from the Office of Management and Budget.

“The final Durbin-Mikulski reform ensures that in future years agencies cannot outsource work performed by federal employees unless they are also taking actions to insource `commercial’ functions performed by contractors, i.e., those that are not inherently governmental, `closely associated’, or critical,” concluded Gage. “There has been much concern that insourcing in the non-DoD agencies is excessively focused on functions that are too important or sensitive to have been outsourced and not enough on functions that can be performed more efficiently by federal employees. This reform promotes a more balanced federal sourcing policy and ensures that insourcing will be permanent, not just a passing fad.”

(WASHINGTON)-The Federal Labor Relations Authority today granted the American Federation of Government Employees application for review of a May denial of the union’s petition for a union election, stating that AFGE’s “application demonstrates that review of the RD’s decision is warranted.”

FLRA Chicago Regional Director Peter Sutton on May 28 denied AFGE’s petition for exclusive union representation. AFGE appealed that decision to the full FLRA on June 4.

“AFGE wasted no time in filing our appeal to the full FLRA, and we are pleased they have granted our application for review,” AFGE Membership and Organization Deputy Director Cathie McQuiston said. “We are sure when the FLRA reviews the RD’s decision, and in doing so reviews the 2003 question of jurisdiction, they will find there is jurisdiction and will quickly remand the petition back to the RD for election.”

In dismissing AFGE’s petition, Acting RD Peter Sutton cited AFGE’s 2003 petition to be the exclusive union representative, and in which the FLRA ruled that it had no jurisdiction over which to process the petition. AFGE believes that FLRA majority confused the issues of allowing for an election without collective bargaining rights, but that the current Authority members may now understand the distinction. Significantly, in 2003, FLRA member (and current FLRA chair) Carol Pope dissented from the majority opinion, asserting that there are many things a union representative can do for workers absent collective bargaining.

“While AFGE has encouraged swift action on its petition, it is unfortunate that there now is an interruption in the FLRA’s ability to issue a ruling because of delay tactics by the treasury union,” McQuiston said. “That union argued that a vote for union representation before collective bargaining is granted would be confusing to Transportation Security Officers. Those actions have the direct impact of denying the TSOs the right to elect the union they want to represent them once the bargaining rights are granted. In so doing, it also delays an end to PASS, a further delay to dignity on the jobsite, and has the very real impact of keeping the wages of all TSOs depressed.”

AFGE is the only union to represent TSOs since the agency’s inception, and currently has more than 12,000 dues-paying members in 38 AFGE Locals across the country.

For more information on AFGE’s election petition, please visit www.tsaunion.net.