Remembering Those Who Died

Memorial Day. A time for barbecues, friends, time at the beach. But it really does mean more. As we approach the holiday, it's good to reflect on the holiday's meaning and roots as you munch down on that hotdog.

According to Wikipedia, "Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. The holiday ... originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans founded in Decatur, Illinois, established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions, celebrated on different days, had merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service."

While America is certainly not perfect, as we look around at religious wars in the middle east, repressive governments all over the globe, and bleak economics in many countries, America looks like a pretty good place to live. Remember that America didn't come for free. It was infused with the blood of many American soldiers who fought for the principles and ideals this country stands for. While we may not always live up to our ideals, at least we have them. Take time out of your picnics and holiday vacations to reflect on those who died fighting for what we have.

Download NTEU's Memorial Day flier here, and post it in your cubicle or office.

National's e-Bulletin & Paid Parental Leave

Today NTEU's national office sent out it's weekly e-Bulletin, noting NTEU's support of paid parental leave. The article mentions that "studies have shown that employers offering paid parental leave see reduced turnover, increased productivity, better morale and reduced absenteeism" and that "the United States remains one of only two industrialized nations without paid parental leave."

To get access to the e-Bulletin with tons of useful information, visit our Join page and download and sign either the SF1187 or the cash dues form and become a member today!

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NTEU Legislative Conference a Success

NTEU National closed its annual Legislative Conference today in Washington, DC with rousing lunch speeches from Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth and NTEU President Tony Reardon. Devoted to educating Congress about federal employee issues, the conference is a combination of training sessions for NTEU members and discussions with Senators and Representatives about issues important to us....

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NTEU Protecting Federal Retirement

The FERS retirement system is fully funded and financially sound with no unfunded liability. Today, FERS is frequently pointed to as a model by a diverse group of pension experts for its three-legged stool structure (defined benefit, defined contribution, and Social Security), and by workforce experts for meeting workers’ job portability needs. Federal employees contribute a portion of their pay toward their retirement to achieve an average FERS pension of approximately $1500 per month, a modest retirement income.

But since 2010, Congress has used the federal retirement program to help close the federal deficit, essentially cutting the take-home pay of new employees. Federal employees have contributed $21 billion to deficit reduction through increased retirement contributions.....

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Federal Employee Items in FY '17 Budget Request

President Obama’s budget recommendation for fiscal year (FY) 2017, which was formally released recently, includes an average 1.6% pay raise for both federal civilian and military personnel.  The proposed 1.6% pay adjustment for General Schedule federal employees would be effective January 2017......

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Anti-Harassment Policy & Your Rights

On January 6, 2016, you received an email from the administrator outlining the Agency’s response to allegations of bullying or harassment reported at EPA.  The policy can be found on the Intranet. A part of the process is “Fact Finding” where employees are interviewed to furnish evidence to support or negate the allegations of bullying or harassment. If you are contacted for such an interview, please don’t participate without Union representation. These interviews can have serious repercussions to your career!....

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The National Labor-Management Partnership Council

The National Labor-Management Partnership Council (Partnership Council) is an EPA organization composed of both management and union officials dedicated to the accomplishment of the Agency's missions, fostering more productive and cost effective service to the agency's customers, and improving the working conditions, career development, and morale of employees. The Partnership Council is founded on the belief that Agency employees want to be involved in decisions that affect them; that they care about their careers and are dedicated to fulfilling the missions of the agency; that they take pride in their work and contributions to protecting public health and the environment; and that they should share in the success of their efforts. The Partnership Council’s goal is that by creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, open sharing of information, and recognizing and utilizing individual ideas and knowledge in innovative ways, EPA's labor unions and management can improve the agency for all employees.....

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Chapter 280 Now on Facebook

If you're one of those people who hates checking websites, but loves checking Facebook pages, NTEU Chapter 280 is now live on Facebook at this page.

Members will still receive our Members-Only emails of information not posted to the website, and the website will remain our primary communications tool for general information. But now you'll have another way to access much of the information posted here.

And don't forget to check out our Twitter feed as well!

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Waiver of Telework Waiting Period for Certain Employees

The new NTEU telework article in our collective bargaining agreement reduces the time that new employees must wait to telework from one year (old agreement) to between 3-6 months (Article 54, Section 8), as determined by your manager. A new policy waiver allows managers to forego the waiting period altogether for episodic telework in certain situations.....

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Telework & EPA Closures: Do I have to telework?

As you may have noticed, the rules regarding telework (used to be called "flexiplace") and snow days changed with the most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA). When the government closes due to weather, terrorism, or other calamitous event, it's important to know the rules on whether or not you need to telework. In order to better understand the new rules, we’ve put together this question and answer document.

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HQ Employees Getting Less Transit Benefits Than Region

As a federal employee in DC, it’s expensive to live here. In order to make the high costs more bearable, Congress increased the transit-subsidy benefit to $255.

Today we learned that our own agency is paying its Region 9 employees in San Francisco the increased benefit starting January 1, 2016 even though it’s waiting until February 1 for headquarters employees....

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Senate Passes 5-Day Continuing Resolution

Never mind kicking the can down the road, there's nothing like kicking the can a few feet in front of you. Today The Senate has passed a short-term funding measure (H.R. 2250) to avert a lapse in appropriations.  By voice vote, the Senate cleared the text of a House-introduced five-day Continuing Resolution (CR), which keeps the government open until Midnight, December 16.......

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