The union filed a second lawsuit against nine other articles of the AFGE-VA agreement, as well as 22 complaints of negotiability and accusations of unfair labor practices. AFGE filed a total of six national complaints against VA during its negotiations with the Ministry. After nearly a year of contentious negotiations and disagreements, the Federal Public Service Impasses Committee has made a long-awaited decision in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Federation of Government Employees. Executive Order 13836, Developing Efficient, Effective and Cost-Effective Approaches to Collective Bargaining in the Federal Sector, signed by the President on May 25, 2018, requires organizations to file each collective agreement (CBA) and its expiry date within 30 days of the CBA`s effective date. EO 13836 also requires OPM to make these CbAs publicly available on the Internet. This promotes transparency by allowing the public to see the types of agreements between federal sector organizations and unions. Organizations are also required to submit arbitral awards to OPM within 10 business days of receipt. OPM has published a memorandum on the publication of the CBA database, which provides guidance on the Agency`s requirements for ACAs and arbitral awards. In its decision, the committee set a period of seven years for the collective agreement between AFGE and VA.
The union demanded a three-year contract, as was customary in the past, but the department wanted a 10-year term, citing the cost of collective bargaining. Instead, the dead-end panel turned to 44 articles in which the two sides could not reach an agreement. It adopted a decision on these articles last week. In general, the collective agreement does not set specific limits on the number of days employees can and cannot telework. However, no new collective agreement was reached for AFGE until both parties accepted all the articles of the contract. VA is no longer responsible for the pressure and physical distribution of the collective agreement to employees, which would save about $2.5 million, according to the ministry. From AFGE`s point of view, what happens next with the panel`s decision is still in the air. VA and AFGE have been engaged in heated negotiations and debates since last spring, when the ministry submitted new negotiating proposals. If you are already a registered user of an agency, please log in to the CBA database to upload your document. LookingGlass Overview: In this exclusive briefing for executives, federal technology experts provide insight into how authorities are approaching cybersecurity in the new virtual climate. According to the panel, VA employees in the AFGE bargaining unit can use a total of 176,296 hours for each fiscal year. This is in stark contrast to fiscal 2016, when VA employees used 1,048,596 official hours at a cost of more than $49 million, according to the department.
In the end, the panel decided to implement the vast majority of VA`s proposals, although it amended some of them and adopted a handful of AFGE recommendations. In advocating for the official time changes, VA said the union could afford the restrictions. According to the ministry, AFGE received more than $60 million from bargaining unit members in 2019. If you have any questions regarding the filing of ACAs and arbitration awards, please contact OPM`s Accountability and Industrial Relations staff at LRG@opm.gov. If you have any questions about specific BCAs found in this database, please contact the agency associated with this ABC. For more information on the representation data of all bargaining units certified by the Federal Labour Relations Authority, including name, description, location, bargaining unit employee population and other information, see the Federal Labour Management Information System. However, the committee reversed the ministry`s policy regarding office space for workers` unions. While AFGE is still unable to use office equipment, printers or VA vehicles, it will have access to 227,512 square feet of office space. We are having difficulty processing your request and are currently dealing with the issue. The error was recorded and the appropriate people were notified. We apologize for any inconvenience.
This annual report contains information on the representation of Hispanics in the federal government and best practices of federal organizations. “It is quite possible that the court will rule on the merits against the union or dismiss the lawsuit altogether,” the Impasses panel said. “Maintaining this dispute on the basis of speculation would therefore not be a productive use of the panel`s resources.” Learn more about federal compensation throughout your career and around the world. The union, which represents about 265,000 VA workers, believes that the ministry cannot legally implement the terms of the FSIP`s decision because it challenged the constitutionality of the impass committee appointment system. .