In a letter to Eric Schaaf, Regional Counsel of EPA Region 2, dozens of ORC attorneys called on him to stand up for their safety and convey their concerns to senior leadership regarding the unnecessary pressure to resume working at regional offices before the danger of the coronavirus pandemic has passed.
Read MoreNTEU Demands Protections Before Reopening Federal Buildings
On April 27th, the National Treasury Employees Union released the health and safety conditions that must be met before federal employees are required to return to the workplace. “Most federal employees have never missed a beat during this pandemic, either successfully teleworking from home or continuing to report to duty because their job is not eligible for telework,” Reardon said. “But before those away from the office are required to return, NTEU will insist that some basic steps be taken to reduce the risks to their health and well-being.”
Read MoreA Historic Achievement: Paid Parental Leave for Federal Employees
The federal government will now be a more family-friendly employer with the historic approval of a paid parental leave program giving frontline civil servants the financial security to be at home during one of the most crucial times of their lives.
A 12-week paid parental leave program for federal employees is part of the defense policy bill that was signed into law on December 20, 2019. Starting October 1, 2020, federal employees will be able to use up to twelve weeks of paid leave for the birth, adoption or fostering of a child. The Office of Personnel Management is currently preparing draft implementing regulations, which the agency has indicated should be available for public comment in late spring.
Read MorePeoplePlus Update Improving Tracking of Credit Hours
The following is an update from EPA on improvements to PeoplePlus, Release 9, that allow employees on more kinds of schedules to track credit hours more accurately and easily. NTEU was actively involved in pushing the agency to make these important changes to improve employees’ ability to earn and record credit hours.
“As requested during the focus group discussions following the implementation of PeoplePlus 9.2, the agency was taking necessary steps to address concerns over the recording of credit hours. Please be advised that an update was made to PeoplePlus, Release 9. The release allows all employees on flexible schedules, including the Maxiflex schedule, to record earned credit hours daily in PeoplePlus, as opposed to recording earned credit hours only after fulfilling their biweekly work hour requirement.”
Read MoreMerit Promotion Eligibility National Grievance Update
On October 8, 2019, the Agency issued Order 3115, the “Merit Promotion Plan.” This Order addressed the new requirements for applying for a job at EPA through the USAJOBS application process. According to the new regulations, effective January 1, EPA employees are required to submit a copy of their most recent PARS performance rating and the appropriate SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, when applying to EPA positions posted on USAJOBS. Additionally, internal merit promotion applicants would have been required to be at least “Fully Successful” to be eligible for selection.
Read MoreWaPo Article Praises Federal Employees & Union Efforts
Yesterday's Washington Post carried an essay reflecting on NTEU and other federal unions' court challenge to President Trump's anti-employee, anti-union executive orders, characterizing the efforts as the real resistance to President Trump's illegal actions.
The article quotes NTEU President Tony Reardon….
Read MoreChapter 280 Urges Management to Prepare for DC Racist Rally
On the anniversary of the Charlottesville violence, the same racist/nationalist group that perpetrated the Charlottesville violence will rally in DC near the White House. The rally, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, August 11 & 12, could impact federal employees on Thursday, Friday, and Monday as rally participants arrive in DC.
NTEU Chapter 280, in an email to management today….
Read MoreToiletgate
If you saw the story we posted yesterday, you know that EPA planned to shut off the water to EPA's Potomac Yard building for half a day for nearly 1000 employees. No drinking water, no toilets, no sprinkler system to suppress fires, and no sinks to clean up dirty dishes. EPA was refusing to close the building and place employees without telework agreements on administrative leave, something they're required to do.
When NTEU 280 learned from a member of this not-well-thought-out idea, we sprung into action and sent a strongly-worded email to facilities management informing them that they were violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and the EPA-NTEU Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). We said....
Read MoreUnion Files Grievance Challenging Wasteful Timekeeping System
The EPA Inspector General investigates fraud, waste, and abuse, and defines "waste" as "extravagant, careless or needless expenditure of government funds, or the consumption of government property that results from deficient practices, systems, controls or decisions." The Office of Chief Financial Officer's roll-out of the latest PeoplePlus "upgrade" certainly qualifies. This new system caused thousands of wasted employee hours to accomplish what was previously being done in only a few minutes.
Our informal surveys of employees revealed dozens of hours of wasted time per employee just trying to accurately input time. We learned that many employees on flexible schedules were taking up to two hours to get time certified every two weeks. Assuming 20% of employees are on flexible schedules, that is approximately 5,800 wasted hours each pay period.....
Read MoreWhat's Better Than Chocolate? Paid Parental Leave.
This Mother’s Day, what’s better than flowers and chocolate?
Paid parental leave.
Every day, we ask our mothers to do more than their fair share. Now let’s give them the respect they deserve and the time they need to stay healthy, bond with their children, and be successful at home and in the workplace.
Join NTEU in standing behind the mothers who are also dedicated federal employees.
Visit NTEU.org to support paid parental leave.
Cookies & Cream & a Big Thank You for Our Work!
A coalition of 54 environmental and civic groups as well as several unions, including NTEU, assembled outside EPA headquarters today to let EPA employees know that they support their efforts, and decry recent attacks on science, federal employees, and the environment.
As a really nice thank-you, they also passed out tasty cookies and delicious Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Yum!
You can download their letter by clicking here, or read the entire text, below...
Read MorePotomac Yard Stress Reduction Seminar
NTEU, AFGE, and EPA’s Headquarters' Employee Counseling and Assistance Program (ECAP) are sponsoring a second "Alternative Methods to Reducing Stress," a free seminar in Observance of Stress Awareness Month, this one in EPA's Potomac Yard offices.
Date: May 4, 2017
Time: 12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Potomac Yard Room S-5261
You do not need to take leave to attend, or make up the time at the end of the day for this seminar when combined with your lunch period. We recommend, however, that you inform your supervisor you will be away for the entire time.
If your supervisor has any questions about the authority to allow attendance for the entire time, show her/him this article or suggest s/he contact Krysti Corbett in EPA's Labor & Employee Relations, the advisers to management.
For more information, please contact Wayne White, at 202-564-7914 or send an email to white.wayned@epa.gov.
Stressed About Everything That's Going On?
NTEU, AFGE, and EPA’s Headquarters' Employee Counseling and Assistance Program (ECAP) are sponsoring "Alternative Methods to Reducing Stress," a free seminar in Observance of Stress Awareness Month.
Date: April 25, 2017
Time: Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Location: William Jefferson Clinton South Building, Room 5213
With your 30 minute lunch period, management approved an additional 60 minutes for the seminar. Therefore, you do not need to take leave to attend or make up the time at the end of the day. We recommend, however, that you inform your supervisor you will be away for the entire 90 minutes. If s/he has any questions about the authority, show her/him this article or suggest s/he contact Krysti Corbett in EPA's Labor & Employee Relations, the advisers to management.
For more information, please contact Wayne White, at 202-564-7914 or send an email to white.wayned@epa.gov.
Threats to Federal Employees
Report threats to report.EPA.threats@epa.gov or call 888-546-8740. In immediate danger? Dial 911.
Ever get a threatening phone call, email, or get threatened in-person? The Office of Inspector General set up an email address to report threats.
If you or your colleagues are in immediate danger, call 911. If there's no immediate danger, report the threat to report.EPA.threats@epa.gov.
Messages sent to the email address will be automatically forwarded to EPA Office of Inspector General's Office of Investigations supervisors, the National Threat Coordinator and the Office of Inspector General Hotline. This will ensure that the appropriate investigative takes place, even after hours and on weekends, if necessary.
If the threat comes by snail mail, make sure you preserve the letter in the condition you received it so that the OIG can examine it for fingerprints. If the threat came by voicemail, please save the voicemail so that the voice can be analyzed. If the threat came by carrier pigeon, save the pigeon. You get the idea: preserve the evidence.
You can also always call the IG at 888-546-8740.
VERAs & VSIPs
As a result of the repeated attacks on federal employees from Capitol Hill, a number of members have contacted us and asked what options the agency might have to reduce the size of the federal workforce. To be clear, we have no information that anyone is planning any of these reductions, but we are posting this information because of the inquiries we received.
In the past, the agency typically avails itself of a number of options before resorting to involuntary reductions in force or RIFs. Typically those options include:
- attrition through retirements and normal separations
- Voluntary Early Retirement Authorities (VERA)
- Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP)
Before you dismiss the impact.....
Read MoreHiring Freeze Guidelines
On Tuesday, January 31, the U.S. Offices of Personnel Management (OPM) and Management and Budget (OMB) issued supplemental guidance on President Trump's recent hiring freeze memorandum. The memorandum supplements prior guidance issued January 25, 2017. The new memo lists a number of exceptions to the hiring freeze. The following exceptions potentially apply to EPA:....
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