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On August 28th, President Trump declared NASA to be one of the agencies that perform “national security functions,” repudiating all NASA collective bargaining agreements in an executive order (EO). Note this EO does not prohibit NASA from having unions. The EO is illegal, and the legality of similar EOs is being fought in the courts. The IFPTE, our parent union, and other national unions associated with our NASA sister centers are working to determine a course of action. WE ARE FIGHTING THIS.
Although we sincerely hope a Reduction in Force (RIF) does not occur at Goddard, we want to share some information on your rights and what you should do if a RIF does occur and you receive a RIF notice. The information below is taken in part from “A Civil Servant's Guide To Reductions In Force” by the Civil Service Strong organization, GESTA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Sect 18., information from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) RIF Website and OPM’s Employee Guide to Career Transition. We encourage you to read the information at those links as well.
At the end of my last article, I promised to write about both the bargaining and grievance Articles in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). That turns out to be an awful lot for one article, so I’m dividing it into two; this article focuses on grievances that can be filed by individual bargaining unit members, the next one will address bargaining and arbitration, unless events change our priorities. Both bargaining and arbitration are addressed by GESTA as an organization representing employees, not by individuals.
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. In negotiations with NASA Goddard Protective Services and the Labor Relations Office, Protective Services has agreed to the following statement concerning the use of badge swipe data and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage:
“The Goddard Space Flight Center, to include all component locations, utilizes a series of Electronic Physical Security Access Control (EPACS) Devices and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) network to maintain the protection and observation of the Center and facilities. These devices monitor the access authorization for employees, contractors and visitors to enter the center or buildings and provide notice to Security Police Officers if a person does not have authorization to enter the facility. The CCTV system is deployed at all entry control points and other areas as required for the Center and facilities. These devices are not used for time and attendance nor are they provided to managers for daily time and date verification. The system records can be utilized by NASA Protective Services and the Office of the Inspector General during any investigation. A supervisor cannot request employee verification of a specific time/date of entry due to a time card discrepancy. While extremely rare, if OPS or the OIG received a credible allegation of time card abuse/fraud, the right to use all available evidence in support of the official investigation will be utilized. Any request for access to Protective Services systems must be approved by the Chief of Protective Services.” |
GESTA IFPTE
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