In My Own Words
12/30/2008
A new section has been added to the site that provides first person narratives from members describing how NTEU has helped them resolve employment issues. Read More...
The Labor Agenda
12/29/2008
“There is no doubt that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen a labor secretary who could be a transformative force in a long-neglected arena. The question is whether he will let her”, according to the New York Times. Read More...
Labor's Fresh Face
12/29/2008
“When Barack Obama set out to choose his secretary of Labor, his top priority was probably not recruiting an emblematic Angeleno. But in tapping Hilda L. Solis, a Democrat who represents a portion of the San Gabriel Valley in Congress, that's just what he's done”, according to the Los Angeles Times. Read More...
Unions, Industry Spar Over Vote Rules
12/29/2008
“U.S. businesses are gearing up to do battle with worker groups in a political fight over rules governing how unions can be formed and joined”, according to UPI. Read More...
Obama Team Likely To Show Liberal Lean On Labor Issues
12/29/2008
“Of all the Cabinet selections announced by President-elect Barack Obama, none probably was more pleasing to liberal Democrats than U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis to be the next secretary of labor”, according to the Oklahoman. Read More...
Reminder Regarding Annual and Sick Leave Requests
12/23/2008
Recently the Agency sent a copy of part of an order out that was not in compliance with the current agreement.
Read More...
Read More...
New Chapter Steward
12/23/2008
Modernizing Civil Service
12/23/2008
“The civil service system of managing job classification, hiring, performance management and employee rewards is broken. More than 50 years old, the system was designed at a time when half of the federal work force was classified at the GS-4 level or below”, according to Federal Times. Read More...
Thousands Pull Plug on TSP Contributions
12/23/2008
“More than 9,000 federal employees stopped making contributions to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts in November, continuing a slide that has accelerated as the economy worsens”, according to Federal Times.
Read More...
Read More...
GSA Cracks Down on Smoking In and Around Federal Buildings
12/23/2008
“The new smoking policies, which apply to all buildings under the jurisdiction, custody or control of GSA, will be phased in over a six-month period to give agencies time to comply with their collective bargaining obligations in situations where the changes affect conditions of employment and there is exclusive representation for the affected employees”, according to Government Executive.
Read More...
Read More...
Lawmakers Press Bush to Rescind Order Curbing Collective Bargaining
12/09/2008
“Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Bush and the Justice Department to explain an executive order that stripped collective bargaining rights from 1,500 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives employees, and to repeal the order if they cannot”, according to Government Executive.
Read More...
Read More...
Making Contracting Work for the United States
12/09/2008
“The federal government is failing to live up to its legal and moral obligations as a model employer. Through numerous laws and executive orders, Congress and the executive branch have expressed a clear and long-standing objective to set and enforce high standards for the treatment of contracted workers. The federal government, however, is falling far short of this goal. Instead of helping to create quality jobs, all too often the federal government contracts with companies that pay very low wages and treat their workers poorly”, according to the Center for American Progress. Read More...
Many Service Contract Workers Are Underpaid
12/09/2008
“For many Americans, the prevailing image of a federal contractor is that of a highly compensated professional with a deep stock portfolio and a rich 410(k) plan. But a report released Monday by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning advocacy group, paints a different picture of the men and women who provide services to the government”, according to Government Executive. Read More...
Senators Object to Executive Order Denying Federal Workers Collective Bargaining Rights
12/08/2008
“U.S. Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) sent a letter to President George W. Bush urging him to rescind a recent executive order that revoked the collective bargaining rights of thousands of federal employees”, according to Hawaii Reporter.
Read More...
Read More...
OPM Extends FEHBP Open Season
12/08/2008
“The Office of Personnel Management is extending the open season for enrolling in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program through the end of January”, according to Federal Times. Read More...
OPM Renegotiates Out-of-Network Health Benefits
12/08/2008
“The Office of Personnel Management announced on Friday that it is working with insurance carriers in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to reevaluate certain out-of-network benefits for nonemergency surgeries, a move that will extend enrollment until the end of January for federal employees who wish to change their plans”, according to Government Executive. Read More...
Hoyer Challenges Bush on Union Rights
12/07/2008
“House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer demanded Friday that the attorney general explain why President Bush took away collective bargaining rights from employees at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who had union representation for 30 years before the administration last month deemed it a threat to national security”, according to the Washington Times. Read More...
Bush Slashes Union Rights For More Feds
12/07/2008
“President George W. Bush last week took away collective bargaining rights for about 1,500 employees, almost all of them at the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”
“The order also would deny existing union rights to about five bargaining-unit employees at the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Division”, according to Federal Times. Read More...
“The order also would deny existing union rights to about five bargaining-unit employees at the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Division”, according to Federal Times. Read More...
Lawmakers Weigh in on Executive Order
12/04/2008
“Some Democratic leaders are questioning a recent executive order that rescinds the collective bargaining rights of thousands of federal employees, and say they will join union leaders in opposing an extension of the order to employees in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives”, according to Government Executive.
Read More...
Read More...
Richardson Would Energize Commerce
12/04/2008
“Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said Richardson reached out to the union early in his tenure at Energy, which had a history of sometimes-troublesome work environments. He attended NTEU’s legislative conference during his first year on the job and supported a number of popular workplace programs, including flexible work schedules,” according to Federal Times. Read More...
For Obama Supporters, Time to Call In Favors
12/04/2008
“Whether it's workplace injuries, beer taxes or family leave, it's payback time for Obama supporters in the regulatory arena”, according to the Washington Post. Read More...
Obama Urged to Tackle Frustrations of Federal Employees
12/03/2008
“When President Obama takes over in January as manager in chief of nearly 2 million federal employees, he will need a plan to reinvigorate a frustrated and demoralized workforce, career employees warn”, according to the Washington Post. Read More...
Replace Aging Federal Workers With Technology?
12/03/2008
“A former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers suggests that the Obama administration should replace aging federal workers with technology”, according to Congress Daily.
Read More...
Read More...
111th Congress and What You Can Do!
12/02/2008
“The 111th Congress will convene in January, and it is critical that NTEU members continue to foster relationships with their elected members of Congress in order to help move forward our legislative issues down the road. Now is the time to connect with your current or newly elected member of Congress”. NTEU National President Colleen Kelley. Read More...
Kelley Questions 11th Hour White House Move Against Union Representation
12/02/2008
“The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today pledged to fight an 11th hour Bush administration executive order removing from the union’s bargaining unit some 1,500 employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the Justice Department and certain employees from the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in the Treasury Department”, according to a recent NTEU press release.
Read More...
Read More...
Some Federal Workers Lose Bargaining Rights
12/02/2008
“President Bush issued an executive order on Monday that denies collective bargaining rights to about 8,600 federal employees who work in law enforcement, intelligence and other agencies responsible for national security”, according to the New York Times. Read More...
Bush Denies Bargaining Rights to 8,600 Federal Workers
12/02/2008
“In a final-days attack on workers’ rights, President Bush yesterday issued an executive order that denies collective bargaining rights to about 8,600 federal employees who work in national security, law enforcement and intelligence”, according to AFL-CIO Now Blog.
Read More...
Read More...
Bush Strips Employee Rights with Last-Minute Order
12/02/2008
“As a parting gift to many of those who have stuck around during his tenure, President Bush yesterday issued an executive order stripping the collective bargaining rights of thousands of federal employees,” according to OMB Watch.
Read More...
Read More...
Order Cut Workers From Bargaining Unit
12/02/2008
“The president of a large federal employees union says an executive order signed by President Bush cuts about 1,500 employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Justice Department and other workers in Treasury’s Tax and Trade Bureau from the labor organization’s bargaining unit,” according to the Washington Post.
Read More...
Read More...
Executive Order Curtailing Bargaining Rights Draws Fire
12/02/2008
“Federal employee unions reacted angrily to an executive order issued Monday that strips collective bargaining rights from thousands of employees at five departments”, according to Government Executive.
Read More...
Read More...
Bush Strips Collective Bargaining Rights from ATF
12/02/2008
“In a late-term executive order that has a major union crying foul, President Bush has excluded about 1,500 employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from collective bargaining”, according to the Federal Times. Read More...
Obama To Tackle Explosion In Federal Contracts
12/02/2008
This week National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasted and published on their site a two part series on the role of contractors in the federal work force. Read More...
Stronger Unions Are Coming
12/01/2008
“For eight years, federal unions have felt left out in the cold with an administration clearly at odds with organized labor. Now that Barack Obama is on his way, unions expect a warmer relationship — and more clout”, according to Federal Times Read More...
With Obama, Unions See Chance to Push Agenda
12/01/2008
“Federal employees are looking forward to what they believe will be the biggest change under Barack Obama: a boss-in-chief who likes them more than their current one”, according to the Washington Post. Read More...
NTEU Hopeful of Change from Obama Administration
12/01/2008
“Federal employees are hopeful of dramatic improvements in policy that include reduced outsourcing of work and much more support for collective bargaining efforts under President-elect Barack Obama’s upcoming administration, the president of a federal employees' union said today”, according to Federal Computer Week. Read More...
Moving – Reassignments and Relocations
12/01/2008
Union Steward Tim Foster has prepared documentation pertaining to reassignments and relocations.
Read More...
Read More...