<![CDATA[GESTA IFPTE LOCAL 29 - Blog]]>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:30:16 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[The Federal Workforce Caucus]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:30:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/the-federal-workforce-caucusCongressional advocacy has been an increasingly necessary and powerful tool over the last 18 months given the direct attacks on federal agencies and federal employees from the Administration. We want to highlight one streamlined Congressional whistleblowing avenue for federal employee issues and federal workers. The Federal Workforce Caucus, led by Representative James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11), Representative Steny Hoyer (MD-05), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are a caucus of congressional members with a strong  interest in fighting for federal employee issues. Their caucus has setup up a streamlined portal for receiving whistleblower concerns which can be accessed at the link on their website.
]]><![CDATA[Performance Rating PY26 Policy Changes]]>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 19:44:34 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/performance-rating-py26-policy-changesThe Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and NASA have made changes to Performance Management policy since evaluations were issued last year. We want to ensure you understand these changes so you have the best chance of receiving a fair rating.
  1. OPM has introduced a 40% maximum cap on the employees in a federal agency who can receive a rating above “Fully Successful” or a 3 out of 5 rating. This has been applied to NASA performance management and has been explicitly defined on the NASA Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) “Performance Management” page on NASA's internal sharepoint.
  2. If you want to contest your rating, NASA OCHCO has now instituted more stringent requirements. And NASA's administrative grievance process no longer applies to performance ratings. 
  • ACT FAST! Re-evaluation of performance ratings must now be requested within 3 business days of receiving the rating.
  • At the time of requesting the re-evaluation of your performance, you must provide the following:
    • Your self-assessment. If you did not provide a self-assessment before your performance rating was issued, then you are not eligible for a re-evaluation. 
    • A specific request for each critical element rating desired for reconsideration. Ex. “Change Element X from a ‘3’ to a ‘5.’” 
    • Significant additional evidence supporting the change in your rating directly supporting the “Distinguished” Level 5 indicators in your performance plan critical element(s) that you are contesting.
  • Changes to your performance rating will go through through your rating official (usually your supervisor), a reviewing official, and a deciding official. All three officials must agree to change the original rating in order to finalize an increase in your rating. 
  • There are no additional appeals if your request is denied.

“What if I’ve been illegally treated by my rating official”
  • If you believe you have been discriminated against by receiving a low rating this is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint and you can contact the EEO office to lodge a complaint and begin the process of fixing this harm. This type of complaint does not fall under performance management and the re-evaluation process detailed above.
  • If you believe you have been retaliated against by receiving a low rating this is an Office of Special Counsel complaint and a Prohibited Personnel Practice under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b). Contact the OSC to lodge a complaint and begin the process of fixing the harm. This type of complaint does not fall under performance management and the re-evaluation process detailed above.
]]><![CDATA[GESTA on Labor Day]]>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/gesta-on-labor-dayThis Labor Day, we were reminded of the unions that built America and the power of collective bargaining. Although our collective bargaining rights were stripped away a year ago, our members have remained steadfast as we continue to advocate for fair treatment while honoring the contributions of workers at the Goddard Space Flight Center and highlighting the worldwide impacts of our work. Members of GESTA showed solidarity by participating in the annual Greenbelt Labor Day Festival on Labor Day and after the parade met and discussed the areas in which our diligent efforts have been helpful to employees during the past year.
Picture
Members representing GESTA marched in the Greenbelt Labor Day parade.
]]><![CDATA[Status of OMB Rules on Political Involvement in Grants]]>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/status-of-omb-rules-on-political-involvement-in-grantsIn late May, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a new rule that would formally insert political appointees directly into the approval chain for the solicitation and awarding of grants from federal science funding agencies, and also limit grantee’s ability to publish and share their scientific findings at conferences. In response, in June, a broad national campaign came together across the US scientific community, with journals, individuals, and scientific advocacy groups all organizing and speaking out against these rule changes. More than 496,769 comments were submitted to OMB on this rule change, with the overwhelming majority of the comments (in some reports more than 90%) critical of these changes, and drawing further attention to the issue from Congress and the media. OMB must now respond to these comments before making this rule change.  In addition, on September 1st, both houses of Congress passed a continuing resolution which also included language prohibiting the implementation of these proposed rules through December 11th.
]]><![CDATA[Voting Rights]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 04:42:06 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/voting-rightsExercising our right to vote is one of the most fundamental ways we participate in our democracy and shape the future of our country. Our vote impacts who will lead our local and national stage, and the policies, funding and legislation that directly impact federal agencies and our federal workforce. We strongly encourage our membership to make plans to vote in the upcoming nationwide general elections which will take place on November 3rd. To find information on your options for casting your ballot and your voter registration status you can consult the non-partisan Vote 411 site: https://www.vote411.org/ which provides a one-stop location to access information on voting for voting eligible residents of all 50 states. We also want to also bring your attention to your ability and limitations to take administrative leave as a NASA federal employee in order to vote.
The Office of Personnel Management states that:
“the head of each agency (or his or her designee) has discretion to grant administrative leave for voting in limited circumstances in which there is no reasonable opportunity for an employee to vote outside of their regular work hours, and only to the extent that such time off does not interfere with agency operations. Such administrative leave should generally be limited to the hours required to vote and should generally not exceed three hours in length. In addition, agencies should grant administrative leave for early voting on a scheduled workday only when (1) the employee will be unable to vote on the day of the election because of activities directly related to the agency’s mission (such as Temporary Duty (TDY) travel) and cannot vote by absentee ballot or by early voting on a nonworkday, or (2) early voting hours are the same as, or exceed, voting hours on the day of the election. “  

NASA NPR 4.5 further specifies that: 
  • "4.5.1 When election polls are not open at least three hours either before or after an employee's regular work hours, supervisors should allow maximum work schedule flexibility, to include telework, to allow an employee to vote. Supervisors may also grant administrative leave for a limited amount of time to permit the employee to report to work up to three hours after the polls open or leave from work up to three hours before the polls close, whichever requires the lesser amount of time off.
  • 4.5.2 Extended Commuting Distance. If an employee's voting place is beyond normal commuting distance and vote by absentee ballot is not permitted, the supervisors may grant excused absence (not to exceed one day) to allow the employee to make the trip to the voting place to cast a ballot.
  • 4.5.3 Time spent during the workday for volunteering at an election poll is not an excused absence.
  • 4.5.4 Supervisors may grant administrative leave for early voting on a scheduled workday only when the employee will be unable to vote on the day of the election because of activities directly related to the agency's mission (such as Temporary Duty (TDY) travel) and cannot vote by absentee ballot or by early voting on a nonwork day."
]]><![CDATA[Member Reading Recommendations]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 04:08:48 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/member-reading-recommendationsDuring our May Day 2026 lunchtime gathering, GESTA members and friends took some time to share reading recommendations. The recommendations spanned books related to national and international labor movements and the human experience, and included many books with both a historical and/or NASA-focus. We wanted to share some of them with you here:
  • A Knock at Midnight by Martin Luther King
  • A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin 
  • Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances by Leland Melvin
  • Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring Civilization by Robert Zubrin
  • Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor by Kim Kelly
  • God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène
  • Poems New and Collected by Wislawa Szymborska 
  • Rank and File Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers by Alice Lynd and Staughton Lynd
  • The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
  • The Fourth Turning Is Here by Neil Howe
  • The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
  • We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program by Richard Paul and Steven Moss
If you are looking for your next good read, consider one of your fellow member’s recommendations.
]]><![CDATA[IFPTE Legislative Week: Recap & Future Opportunities]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:23:17 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/ifpte-legislative-week-recap-future-opportunitiesMembers of GESTA/IFTPE Local 29 participated in IFTPE’s 2026 Legislative Advocacy Conference at the Hilton Capitol Hill in Washington DC February 9th-12th.  While GESTA representation included seasoned GESTA leadership, it also included first-time participants. The summary below provides the perspective of one first-time participant during the week. GESTA also organized another very successful day of Congressional visits in May, bringing early career NASA employees to visit with Congressional staff members, and highlighting the issues impacting the NASA early career and term employee workforce and NASA workforce pipelines. If you have an interest in joining GESTA during future Congressional advocacy efforts please contact us.
IFPTE Legislative Week 2026 Recap
IFPTE advocates on behalf of a diverse collection of “locals,” e.g. smaller union chapters that each represent labor across dozens of agencies in the U.S. and Canada, which include private companies (e.g. Boeing), nonprofits (e.g. ACLU), state agencies (e.g. the New Jersey Turnpike authority) and multiple federal agencies (e.g. Tennessee Valley Authority, Defense/Navy, etc.).  In addition to Goddard (GESTA), IFTPE represents scientists and engineers at other NASA centers, including Marshall and Ames.  Because IFTPE represents such diversity, their legislative vision is fairly holistic. For the 2026 session, IFTPE highlighted 15 issues.  Some of these most relevant to NASA included: 1) protecting Merit System Principles and Nonpartisan Civil Service, 2) restoring Federal Labor-Management Relations and 3) strengthening the Federal Workforce through Competitive Pay and Benefits. You can find a full list of IFPTE’s 2026 issue briefs on their website. Our GESTA-specific issues included 1) ensuring that FY26 funding for NASA and NASA science was fully and properly spent, 2) providing funding and oversight to halt adverse impacts to Goddard’s technical and scientific capabilities, 3) restoring NASA GISS, 4) rebuilding the NASA talent pipeline and 5) passing the Protect America’s Workforce Act (PAWA) to restore labor-management relations.   

Monday and Tuesday were primarily conference days and included a packed agenda. IFTPE President Matthew Biggs and IFTPE Legislative Director Faraz Khan kicked off the meeting and detailed the 15 IFPTE issues. We also heard from a mental health advocate and a wrongfully terminated immigration judge. Before we left on Monday, our very-supportive Maryland Senator Chris van Hollen gave us a pep talk, and even posed for a photo with GESTA President Trysh Moton and IFPTE leadership (below).  Faraz Khan led Tuesday morning’s Federal Caucus focused on the issues pertaining to federal agencies including NASA. There we learned about the history of collective bargaining in the Federal sector, and that while Democrat President Kennedy used an Executive Order (EO) to allow collective bargaining in the 1960s, it was Republican Nixon in the 1970s that affirmed that unions in the government were necessary to protect all Americans.  IFTPE’s position was that President Trump’s EOs eliminating collective bargaining for NASA (as a security agency), were wasteful, harmful, and illegal.  In addition, any push by Trump to convert federal jobs to “Schedule P/C” (political appointees) was also harmful to the federal service.  Each federal sector “local” in attendance provided feedback on these main issues, while also sharing local issues. GESTA’s perspective was well-shared by President Trysh Moton and Vice President Steve Hard. 
Picture
GESTA president Trysh Moton, IFPTE Secretary Treasurer Henson, Senator Van Hollen, and IFTPE President Biggs at Legislative Advocacy Week 2026.
Tuesday afternoon, the fun really began! Prior to the week, and during the Monday and Tuesday morning sessions, GESTA and the other NASA locals set up meetings with staffers (and some Congress members) on the Hill.  The NASA contingent (from Goddard, Ames and Marshall), sometimes accompanied by Khan or other IFPTE representatives, met with minority staff from the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, and later afternoon with the analogous Commerce, Space and Aeronautics committee in the House.  The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) local, representing NASA-Johnson employees, was also on the Hill that week. Thus for one meeting, we crammed 10 people from 4 NASA centers into one staffer’s office!

Wednesday and Thursday included more meetings, but these were aimed at members of Congress representing states and districts containing NASA Centers. Thus, as GESTA, we discussed Goddard and GISS-centric issues with staffers of our Maryland (and New York) representatives, but also gave support to other IFTPE local members as they met with their representatives or staffers.  During each of these meetings, various GESTA/IFTPE representatives would take turns discussing the different issues challenging the civil servant and contract workforce at Goddard and/or the other NASA centers. I was honestly surprised and impressed with many of the staffers - in general they were well-informed about issues, but also appeared willing to listen and act upon specific stories and concerns from our group. 

These days on the Hill were extremely intense. I did not comprehend the large physical distances between Senate and House Buildings, offices and the Capitol.  One day included more than 20,000 steps.  In addition, on occasion we struggled to get between points A and B in time. However, we learned it is true - there is an underground train between the Buildings and the Capitol!  (see picture). 
Picture
GESTA and IFPTE members traveling to meetings in the Capitol building during IFPTE Legislative week 2026.
Finally, in addition to the business meeting, the advocacy training, and hiking the Hill, there were multiple social opportunities during the week. This included an evening at a local bar/restaurant hosted by the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), and a final closing reception held at IFTPE HQ. Overall, it was a very memorable week and I am glad that GESTA provides opportunities to advocate for ourselves and be involved.
]]><![CDATA[NASEM Goddard Capabilities Study & GESTA Testimony]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:08:29 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/nasem-goddard-capabilities-study-gesta-testimonyAn ongoing bipartisan congressionally-mandated National Academies (NASEM) Study is collecting information and will report out their findings and recommendations for strengthening Goddard’s technical and scientific capabilities. In July, the study committee contacted GESTA with a request that our union participate directly in the study by providing a public response to their questions. You can read GESTA’s public written response to the committee here.  GESTA President Trysh Moton, Secretary Alyssa Barlis and Area Vice President Margaret Samuels also spoke in person at the National Academies in Washington, DC on August 4th, and you can view the recording of the committee meeting via the NASEM committee website. A note that the other open sessions of the NASEM committee meetings, including those with testimony by Center management are also publicly viewable from the study webpage. In responding to the committee’s questions, GESTA pulled from the broad perspectives and experiences we have heard from our members and Goddard’s workforce over the last year and half. We want to give a big thank you to the Goddard community and members who have courageously provided this feedback which allowed us to provide the committee with a clearer view of the recent impacts to Goddard’s workforce and facilities, and of our community's recommendations for rebuilding Goddard’s future. 
]]>