<![CDATA[GESTA IFPTE LOCAL 29 - Blog]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:22:31 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Union Plus Benefits]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/union-plus-benefitsWe want to make sure our dues-paying GESTA members are aware of one of the additional benefits of your union membership through our international Union, IFPTE which  includes access to discounts on financial services, health, travel, shopping and other benefits through Union Plus. You can find more details of the benefits at the Union Plus Website: www.unionplus.org. From the website you can create an account to begin accessing your benefits. When creating an account select “IFPTE” as your union from the drop-down menu.
]]><![CDATA[Goddard Library Lawsuit]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/goddard-library-lawsuitA lawsuit, which GESTA has joined as a plaintiff, has been filed in response to the Goddard research library closure. The motion seeks emergency relief. Greenbelt News and Review recently published a story on the library closure and lawsuit and interviewed attorney Zachary Weil who represents GESTA and the other plaintiffs. In the article Weil speaks to some of the lawsuit arguments.
]]><![CDATA[Membership Passes Resolution Condemning Killing of Pretti]]>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/membership-passes-resolution-condemning-killing-of-prettiGESTA membership recently passed a resolution to condemn the killing of Alex Pretti, a fellow federal employee and federal union member, by federal immigration agents. You can read the GESTA resolution text here. As noted, copies of this resolution are in the process of being sent to the international leadership of IFPTE, members of Congress representing GESTA districts, other stakeholders, and the press
]]><![CDATA[Action: Comment on Proposed Performance Rating Changes]]>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/action-comment-on-proposed-performance-rating-changesThe Trump administration and the Office of Personal Management (OPM) have proposed new regulations that would  limit the ability for NASA and other federal workers to obtain high performance ratings. A Government Executive article covers these proposed regulation changes which would require a forced distribution on employees ratings. The article describes the numerous issues with such a change noting that “agency representatives across government… nearly universally panned it in internal discussions, warning that its adoption would decrease employee performance and abandon merit systems principles.” The proposed changes are now out for public comments with public comments due by March 26th. A  strategy for these comments is to raise multiple unique concerns that will require a response. We encourage you to submit a comment here by clicking the green ‘Submit an Public Comment’ at the top of the page. For guidance on what makes a good comment on proposed rule changes, you can see this document (relevant advice starting on page 2)  from the Federal Union Network.
]]><![CDATA[PAWA Rally Recap]]>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:44:59 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/pawa-rally-recapOn January 14th GESTA members and allies, as well as IFPTE leadership, rallied on Capitol Hill with other federal union members in support of the The Protect American Workforce Act (PAWA).
GESTA and IFPTE co-sponsored the rally which was organized by the Federal Union Network. GESTA Area Vice President Monica Gorman spoke (below) and served as the rally emcee. Speakers included supportive Congressional members, including Senator Van Hollen, who visited briefly with GESTA attendees after his speech (below), as well as federal union members.
The Protect America’s Workforce Act (PAWA, H.R. 2550/S.2837)  would reinstate NASA and other federal employee bargaining rights in law by revoking the executive orders that took those rights away  (executive orders which are also being challenged in court by IFPTE and other federal unions). PAWA was passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives in December and awaits action by the Senate on the path to become law.  You can read more about PAWA on IFPTE’s page here.
]]><![CDATA[NASA Budget Victory]]>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:13:43 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/nasa-budget-victoryFollowing months of diligent advocacy by GESTA members and tens of thousands of citizens across the country, Congress passed, and the President signed into law a NASA budget that funds the agency from February 1st through September 30th, 2026. A Planetary Society article gives a detailed overview of the topline funding as well as a mission-by-mission comparison between the budget as passed and the FY26 President’s Budget Request (PBR). With the exception of Mars Sample Return, all missions that were threatened with premature termination under the PBR received funding in the budget as passed. Furthermore, the Safety, Security, and Mission Services (SSMS) budget received nearly-flat funding ($3B in FY26, as compared to $3.1B in FY24 and FY25). SSMS funds the Center Engineering, Safety, and Operations (CESO) budget, which includes institutional and technical capabilities, facilities, and technical authority functions at Goddard Space Flight Center.

We want to highlight several GSFC-specific points included in the budget that will be of interest to readers:
First, the law directs NASA to preserve GSFC’s technical capabilities and contract a study on current and future capabilities and facilities. It states "Goddard Space Flight Center Consolidation.- The Committees have reviewed reports regarding facility and building closures at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Greenbelt campus and are concerned about potential negative impacts to operations and capabilities at the Center. The agreement directs NASA to preserve all the technical and scientific world-class capabilities at Goddard, including those that will be used to complete any mission funded in fiscal year 2026 by Congress during any campus consolidation. In addition, the agreement directs NASA to, no later than 30 days after the enactment of this act, contract a study with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine regarding the current technical and scientific capabilities housed at Goddard, what capabilities are positioned to ensure long-term success of the NASA mission, including for future cutting-edge scientific discovery and crewed space exploration, and what facilities are needed to house and operate those capabilities." - Joint Explanatory Statement, page 60.

Second, the law directs NASA to ensure that the Goddard Institute For Space Studies’ work and academic partnerships continue. It states: "NASA shall ensure that Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) employees are able to continue work with minimal disruption, including by considering a physical location of GlSS near its previous location that supports GlSS's strong academic partnerships." - Joint Explanatory Statement, page 54.
]]><![CDATA[Stand Up for Federal Employee Freedom of Speech]]>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/stand-up-for-federal-employee-freedom-of-speechFreedom of speech is a fundamental right we all still retain as federal employees. This freedom under the 1st amendment protects our ability to speak freely to the public while in our capacities as private citizens on matters that are of public concern (including sharing non-controlled information on matters of public concern which we have access to due to our unique roles as federal employees) when it does not interfere with, and is not a part of our ordinary job duties (see: 1 & 2). Whistleblower protection laws also further protect federal employees from retaliation for public disclosures of certain types of whistleblower information. Recently a federal union president, Ellen Mei, of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) representing employees at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was given notice she would be fired in retaliation for a press interview she did warning the public about the government shutdown’s impacts to SNAP benefits. GESTA leadership has signed on to the petition protesting her firing for this protected speech, and you can also add your name to this petition, which has been organized by the Federal Union Network, at this link.]]><![CDATA[Federal Employee Rights Speaking to Congress]]>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMThttps://www.gesta-goddard.org/blog/federal-employee-rights-speaking-to-congressWe want to provide clarification on your right as a federal employee to petition and provide information to Congress including on issues impacting the federal workplace, Goddard and NASA. The right to do so is protected by law under 5  USC  7211 which states "The right of [US government] employees, individually or collectively, to petition Congress or a Member of Congress, or to furnish information to either House of Congress, or to a committee or Member thereof, may not be interfered with or denied." Note such activity is not partisan/political activity since it is not advocating for the election/non-election of a particular individual or a particular party to a political position and is therefore not subject to Hatch Act restrictions.]]>