Unions

EPA Begins Rolling Back Trump-era Union Policies

The Environmental Protection Agency and the American Federation of Government Employees will revert in part to their previous 2007 contract, and the parties will begin negotiations on an entirely new contract later this year.

  • Erich Wagner

Smithsonian Employee Union Raises Concerns About Safety During Reopenings

The Smithsonian doesn’t have a date yet for when its locations will open to the public, but officials said they’ll have procedures in place to protect staff as well as visitors.

  • Courtney Bublé

GovExec Daily: The Future of Federal Workforce Priorities and Protections

GovExec's Erich Wagner speaks to NTEU's Tony Reardon on the podcast about the federal employees and the future.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

OPM Appointments Mark a Radical Shift in Agency's Role

The hiring of high-level executives from organized labor marks a return to federal employee unions having a seat at the table in the formulation of federal personnel policy.

  • Erich Wagner

VA Rolls Back Trump-era Workforce Policies

The Veterans Affairs Department is restoring its previous contract with AFGE, which allows access to official time and union office space in department facilities.

  • Erich Wagner

Biden Names Acting FLRA General Counsel, Ending Critical Trump Era Vacancy

The agency responsible for administering federal labor law has been without a top lawyer for four years, significantly hamstringing its ability to hear labor-management disputes.

  • Erich Wagner

Democrats Push to Grant VA Medical Professionals Full Union Rights

Federal law currently prevents Veterans Affairs Department medical workers from bargaining over matters related to patient care and clinical competence, although much is at the discretion of the VA secretary.

  • Erich Wagner

GovExec Daily: Sick Leave For Feds and the Relief Bill

Erich Wagner joined the podcast to talk about the American Rescue Plan and other workforce stories.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

A Republican Bid to Fully Eliminate Union 'Official Time,' and More

A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.

  • Erich Wagner

NTEU to Push for Pay, Benefits, and Protections in 2021

National Treasury Employees Union National President Tony Reardon said that he has seen a “mixed bag” in terms of agency efforts to comply with President Biden’s workforce executive order.

  • Erich Wagner

Unions Dog SSA Leadership over Perceived Inaction on Workforce Order

More than a week after OPM issued guidance on reopening union contracts negotiated during the Trump administration, Social Security Administration officials are dragging their feet, union officials say.

  • Erich Wagner

GovExec Daily: How OPM Can Support the Workforce in the Biden Administration

Eric Katz talks to OPM's Rob Shriver about the future of feds as the White House looks to recenter civil servants.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

House Democrats Join Chorus Calling for Changes at Social Security

The job security of the Trump-appointed administrator and deputy administrator of the Social Security Administration remains in doubt, as the Biden administration continues to oust holdover appointees elsewhere in the government.

  • Erich Wagner
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OPM Instructs Agencies to Reopen Trump-era Union Contracts

Departments currently engaged in collective bargaining negotiations are expected to rescind proposals restricting unions’ access to official time, grievance proceedings and to begin bargaining “in good faith.”

  • Erich Wagner

Biden Rescinds Memo Granting Defense Secretary Authority to Ban Unions

Last year, then-President Trump granted the Defense secretary authority to strip Pentagon employees of their rights to bargain collectively, although it was never acted upon.

  • Erich Wagner

Advocates, Experts Urge More Protections for Feds Following Trump Workforce Initiatives

Union officials and good government experts said Congress needs more guardrails in place to protect the federal civil service, while a former Trump official defended the administration’s actions.

  • Erich Wagner

Union Announces 'Boldest Agenda' Yet to Strengthen Federal Employee Rights, Pay and Benefits

The president of the nation’s largest federal employee union forecast a “two-year window” to undo former President Trump’s workforce policies and expand workers’ collective bargaining rights.

  • Erich Wagner

Key Senator Lends Support to Effort to Oust Social Security Leadership

The chairman of a subcommittee overseeing the Social Security Administration has joined calls from labor and advocacy groups demanding that President Biden replace the agency’s top political appointees.

  • Erich Wagner

Federal Labor Authority Restores Dispute Resolution Office

Officials at FLRA, which governs labor-management relations in the federal government, said the decision will save agencies money by helping them avoid litigation.

  • Erich Wagner

Judge Rules He Lacks Jurisdiction to Hear Impasses Panel Case

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols dismissed a lawsuit filed by a union representing VA employees challenging the appointment process for members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel.

  • Erich Wagner

Controversial EEOC Official Time Rule Caught Up in Biden ‘Midnight Regulations’ Freeze

The agency tasked with investigating employment discrimination said it is considering “next steps” after a planned rule ending union officials’ guaranteed access to official time to work on complaints was withdrawn following President Biden’s inauguration.

  • Erich Wagner