NFFE Local 1998“passport employees union”

est. October 19, 1981

Welcome to theNew 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 RepresentativesIn additional to the Union representatives in your office, you have

these nationwide NFFE Local 1998 representatives:

President Colin Walle

Vice PresidentRob Arnold

Secretary Treasurer & Ergonomics

Officer Jennifer

Gile

Recording SecretaryVACANT

Chief Steward Karen Proctor-

Adams

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 Contract negotiationso Handling complaints & filing grievanceso 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 Overtime Pay ($306,401.09)o Promotions, Back Payo Office Attire/Headphoneso Work Schedule Optionso Overtime Adjudication Standardso Office Ergonomics Trainingo 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 6o Seeking Assistanceo Right to Union Representationo Respect & Dignityo Corrective Actions

• Article 18 o Evaluations

• Article 15o Promotions

• Article 20o Grievance Deadlines

• Article 12o Changes in working conditions

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 non-representational issues on breaks and lunch.

Article 6, Section 2 (p. 7)

• Right to Union Representationo 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:o “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).

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 job-related.”

• 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:o The Union must request to bargain

within 15-30 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.

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.orgNFFE national’s website:

www.nffe.orgIAMAW’s website: www.goiam.org