On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, Andrea Medici, Chief Steward of NTEU Chapter 280, sent an email to Administrator Michael Regan and Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe to notify them that an alarming number of first-line and second-line supervisors have not treated EPA employees with the respect and compassion due to dedicated public servants who have suffered so many burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the continual public accolades at every level of management for the Agency’s successful implementation of near-universal telework, too many employees are still hearing from a supervisor that pandemic-related impacts on productivity or timeliness simply are not excusable, and may lead to performance related action.
One such employee was actually removed from federal service for unacceptable performance through an expedited process that began at the height of the pandemic in August of 2020 (while the Agency was still operating under Trump-administration personnel directives), and concluded with her final removal on Earth Day, April 22, 2021.
Read the Open Letter here.
On May 9, 2021, Deputy Administrator McCabe responded on behalf of the Administrator and herself, expressing concern and a desire to meet with union representatives.
Read the response here.
Current scheduling efforts suggest that this may occur sometime next week (May 17 - 21, 2021).