Union, Labor Department deadlocked over transit subsidy

A dispute over boosting the transit subsidy benefit for federal employees has led to a standoff between Labor Department officials and the union representing employees at Labor headquarters in Washington.

Federal agencies are required to offer transit subsidies to employees in the Washington metropolitan area under a Clinton-era executive order. Initially the maximum amount employees could receive was $65 per month, but as of January 2002 the ceiling increased to $100 per month.

In January, Labor Department officials sought to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for American Federation of Government Employees Local 12, which represents Labor employees in the Washington area. According to Patrick Pizzella, assistant secretary of Labor for administration and management, the transit subsidy increase was supposed to be resolved during those negotiations.

"It's just one of many issues that we want to talk about with the unions because the contract is 10 years old," Pizzella said. "Last time this contract was negotiated was before Al Gore invented the Internet…we want to bring them into the new millennium."

But union officials said the transit subsidy issue did not require negotiation and declined the department's invitation to sit down at the bargaining table with agency officials.

"The executive order doesn't say anything about negotiating," said Larry Drake, president of AFGE Local 12. "They're not treating us fairly."

About 100 union members staged a rally in front of the department's headquarters Wednesday to protest what they say is a ploy by department officials to force a contract renegotiation.

"They are using this as a prod to force us to come to the table," said Webster Coleman, who has worked for Labor since 1975.

Both sides lodged complaints with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which decided in favor of the Labor Department on Sept. 30. The next day, Labor officials increased the transit subsidy for all employees in the Washington area who were not part of the AFGE Local 12 bargaining unit. Employees in Labor Department field offices got the increase in July.

"We have made repeated attempts to try to negotiate and we've shown good faith with negotiating with the union that represents 8,500 people in the field offices," Pizzella said. "The FLRA decisions seem to support our stance."

Local 12 union members stood their ground on the issue. "There is no need for us to negotiate on this," Drake said. "To me, it looks like they think they are above the law."