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You can now find GESTA on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gesta-goddard.bsky.social) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gesta.goddard/).
We wanted to send a special note to our members who may be transitioning in the Deffered Resignation Program (DRP) program to administrative leave status. First, we honor your service to NASA and wish you the very best in your path beyond. Second, though once you transition to administrative leave status you will no longer be able to serve GESTA as an Executive Council member, represent employees or represent GESTA in conversations with management or the public, nor charge official time for GESTA duties, we want to let you know that you can still:
As the union works to keep track of and respond to the various changes to working conditions for our Bargaining Unit Employees (BUEs), one obstacle that has become clear is management's tactic of using only verbal non-recorded communications to convey new information. This is a tactic that, given its reliance on human memory, can muddy the waters of what a real direction or policy is and also lead to uncertainty about the dates when specific information is first presented to BUEs. It hampers cohesive efforts to respond to change.
However, there are ways that employees can push back against this tactic and establish more clarity. These methods can also help union efforts by providing a firm base to bargain from, if bargaining is initiated on the employees’ behalf. GESTA has informed management we are taking them to arbitration to challenge their denial of GESTA’s grievance on situational telework. GESTA’s grievance was based on the information that Segrid Harris, head of Code 500, had instructed supervisors not to allow situational telework for any cases involving non-recurring medical, family care, or other personal appointments. The guidance calls on supervisors to decide these on a case-by-case basis, but they were instead told to ignore that and simply deny all telework for these “lower hour use” cases, even when granting situational telework would have allowed an employee to more efficiently complete projects. Management denied all of GESTA‘s remedies in the grievance, based on their assertion that “A review of available HR data does not reflect any significant inconsistencies in situational telework usage between directorates.” We will provide membership with more updates when we can on this ongoing arbitration.
There has been some confusion recently about whether the Administration can legally implement the president’s FY26 budget request in FY25 ahead of the new fiscal year, or in FY26 regardless of the details of the federal budget or continuing resolution that Congress passes for FY26. The answer is it would be unconstitutional for the Administration to do so and constitute impoundment. The Administration must spend the funds that Congress appropriates and that the President signs into law. As is explained in the two references shared below this is based on the separate duties established for the three separate branches of our government by the US Constitution.
"FAQs on Impoundment: Presidential Actions Are Constrained by Long-Standing Constitutional Restrictions" "Trump Rescission Proposal Builds on Illegal Impoundments, Would Undermine Future Funding Deals" It is true there is a mechanism in the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 through which the Administration can temporarily pause spending for up to 45 days and request a rescission of specific funds from Congress following specific procedures. However, after that 45-day window is up, if Congress does not approve the rescission of those funds, the Administration must release and spend the funds as Congress has legislated. Also, Congress does specifically appropriate NASA funds down the level of specific programs areas, see for example: “NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: At a Glance” And this situation does not change in the case of a continuing resolution, where Congress still will specify what the continuing funding rate levels will be across those programs, see: “Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices" For my first article, I looked at our Weingarten rights, and briefly touched on the legislation that recognized workers’ rights in general and civil servants’ rights in particular. This article will talk about agreements between GESTA and Goddard management, and illustrate one example of employee rights under these agreements.
The main agreement with Goddard management is the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This 99-page document contains 44 Articles, and was signed in 1995 and revised in 2007. It can be found on the GESTA Website’s Agreements page, along with other agreements negotiated with management. |
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