Transcript Document

NFFE Local 1998
“passport employees union”
est. October 19, 1981
Welcome to the
New Employee Orientation
Why are you here?
• In accordance with our contract (Article 10,
“Orientation of New Employees”) the Union
provides all new government employees with an
orientation to the role of the Union.
• “There will be no solicitation of membership or
union dues withholding during the Union
presentation.” If you are interested in joining the
Union, we have to talk about that on personal
time, such as breaks or lunch.
Who are we?
• NFFE Local 1998 is the federal labor
organization legally designated as the
exclusive representative of the bargaining
unit employees of Passport Services.
• “NFFE” stands for the “National Federation
of Federal Employees”.
National Representatives
In additional to the Union representatives in your office, you have these
nationwide NFFE Local 1998 representatives:
President
Colin Walle
Vice President
Rob Arnold
Secretary
Chief Steward
Treasurer &
Karen ProctorErgonomics
Adams
Officer
Recording Secretary
Jennifer Gile
VACANT
The Big Picture
• NFFE Local 1998 represents over 1,100
Passport Services employees in 18 offices
nationwide.
• NFFE Local 1998 is one of 200 unions that
are part of the National Federation of
Federal Employees.
• We are also members of the AFL-CIO and
the IAMAW, which gives us lobbying
power in Congress (Article 7, Section 1b).
Picture of the Big Picture
What does the Union do?
• It is the Union’s duty to represent all
government employees in negotiations and
formal meetings with Management, which
include:
o
o
o
Contract negotiations
Handling complaints & filing grievances
Union/Management Council
• The Union strives to establish a healthy
relationship with Management that allows us to
work together to affect positive change.
Who does the Union represent?
• The Union is required to treat members and non-members alike
when administering the Contract (such as a filing a grievance).
• The Union is not obligated to represent non-members in matters not
related to Contract violation.
• Local 1998 cannot represent members of Management or contractor
employees.
• When filing a grievance, employees are permitted to represent
themselves if desired, however a Union rep is still required to be
present at all meetings regarding grievances.
How has the Union fulfilled its role?
• Both by filing grievances and working with
Management, the Union has affected change in:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Overtime Pay ($306,401.09)
Promotions, Back Pay
Office Attire/Headphones
Work Schedule Options
Overtime Adjudication Standards
Office Ergonomics Training
Input on office technology, procedures, and practices
Structure of the Union
• The Union is required by law to be democratic,
with representatives who are elected by the
dues-paying Union members.
• Local 1998 representatives are your coworkers;
they are unpaid volunteers. NFFE & IAMAW staff
are paid out of members’ dues and they provide
expert guidance and training to Local 1998 Reps.
• Representatives are granted official time during
work hours to help the Bargaining Unit
Employees (BUE).
Contract Highlights
• Article 6
o
o
o
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Seeking Assistance
Right to Union Representation
Respect & Dignity
Corrective Actions
o
Evaluations
o
Promotions
o
Grievance Deadlines
o
Changes in working conditions
• Article 18
• Article 15
• Article 20
• Article 12
Article 6, Sections 10 & 11 (p. 8)
• If you need to talk to your Union Rep about a
problem, email your supervisor to request
“official time.” You do not need to divulge any of
the details of your concern to the supervisor.
• Record the time using the “Official Union Time”
category in the MIS work report.
• If you have any problems obtaining time, report
that to the Union Rep.
• You can also talk to the Union Rep about nonrepresentational issues on breaks and lunch.
Article 6, Section 2 (p. 7)
• Right to Union Representation
o
An employee has the right to the opportunity
to be represented by the Union at:
 Management is required to invite a Union rep to
any formal discussion concerning any grievance,
personnel policy, practice or general condition of
employment.
 You need to request a Union rep for any meeting
with Management that you think may result in a
disciplinary action (Weingarten Rights).
Article 6, Section 5 (p. 7)
• “Respect & Dignity”
o
“All unit employees and Employer officials
deserve and shall be entitled to be treated
with mutual respect, dignity, common courtesy
and consideration, and will be treated
equitably.”
Article 6, Section 15 (p. 8)
• Corrective Actions:
“Employees will normally not be admonished,
counseled or given verbal warnings except in a
setting that protects an individual’s dignity and
confidentiality.”
o This means that corrective actions should be
administered in private, away from other
employees and customers (except if a Union
representative is requested).
o
Article 18 (pgs. 30-31)
• Fair Appraisals (Section 2):
o
“The performance appraisal system … will permit, to
the maximum extent feasible, the accurate evaluation
of job performance on the basis of objective criteria,
and will be fair, reasonable, equitable, and jobrelated.”
• Progress Reviews (Section 8):
o
“The supervisor will discuss the employee’s job
performance with the employee in private
surroundings at least twice during the rating period.
One such discussion shall occur before the midpoint
of the employee’s appraisal cycle.”
Article 15 (pgs. 24-27)
• Promotions:
o
You should be promoted on time if:
 You have time in grade (1 year)
 You were given an overall rating of “Fully
Successful” (or higher)
 You have demonstrated the ability to perform at
the next higher grade level.
Article 20, Section 6 (p. 36)
• GRIEVANCE DEADLINE: An employee (or the Union,
on his/her behalf) has 30 days from the date of a
contract violation to file a grievance.
• If you are not sure that your problem is grievable, ask
your supervisor for official time to meet with your Union
Rep to discuss the problem and explore your options.
• If you are thinking about filing a grievance, approach
your Union Rep as soon as possible to give him or her
time to prepare.
• After 30 days have passed and no grievance has been
filed, Management is not obligated to consider your
grievance.
• Any violation of the contract can be grieved.
Article 12, Section 2 (p. 20)
• Management’s obligation to negotiate
over changes to policy or practice
affecting working conditions of bargaining
unit employees:
The Union must request to bargain within 1530 days of being notified of a change.
o Make sure you tell your Union Rep if you are
unhappy about a change — he or she may not
request to bargain if unaware that the change
will negatively affect the BUE.
o
Freedom from restraint
• Employees have the right to join, or not to
join, the Union (Article 6, Section 1).
• Employees may not be discriminated
against because of Union activity or
membership (Article 6, Section 1 and
Article 7, Section 8), including filing a
grievance.
Learning more
• All employees should have received a copy of the
contract (Article 8, Section 6). You are allowed to read
the contract on work time, but arrange that with your
supervisor. We estimate you will need 4 hours.
• You should contact your Union Rep if you need help
understanding/interpreting the Contract.
• Reading and receiving training on office policies must be
conducted on work time. Management is obligated to
inform you about the rules of the office and work
procedures (Article 6, Section 3). You should not
perform any work on unpaid, personal time (FLSA
suffered and permitted OT settlement).
Websites
Visit NFFE Local 1998’s website for news and information:
www.nffe1998.org
NFFE national’s website:
www.nffe.org
IAMAW’s website:
www.goiam.org