FedSmith.com - LER

The FLRA's "Covered-By" Cover-Up (Part Two)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:03:22 CST

The author says that a test applied by the Federal Labor Relations Authority clashes with fundamental principles of collective bargaining.

10 Reasons Supervisors Give for Not Trying to Resolve Employee Problems

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:27:04 CST

The Author asks whether a fairly widely held belief is true i.e., that Federal management takes disciplinary action only if it has absolutely no choice and often not even then. Where does this idea come from and, if true, what should Agency leadership do about it, if anything?

The FLRA's "Covered-By" Cover-Up

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:05:50 CST

The Federal Labor Relations Authority owes agencies and unions clear rules that are easy to apply. The author says that has not been done and provides an example of the torturous path the federal labor relations program sometimes follows.

Disparate Treatment, Federal Taxes and "Conduct Unbecoming of a Federal Employee"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:01:14 CST

A mailroom worker for SSA got caught up in a fraudulent income tax scheme apparently sponsored by a co-worker. While under investigation, the agency promoted the employee who now had access to a database of Social Security numbers. The employee was fired but a federal court sends the case back to the MSPB for a new decision.

The New Federal Labor Relations Authority: Ten Suggestions that Might Really Improve Federal Collective Bargaining

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:18:42 CST

FLRA has a new website and, according to its Chairman, a new "season" based on "Revitalization, Reinvention, and Re-engagement". Her message is the keynote on the cosmetically altered site. Taking on the prior Authority (of which she was a member) claiming it's "performance, along with employee morale, had suffered" and sounding a lot like Al Gore, she wants to reinvent the FLRA but how she plans to do so is a bit hazy.