OPM outlines how government agencies and unions can restructure labor-management forums
Ahead of a September deadline for government agencies and unions to finalize plans to restructure labor-management forums, the Office of Personnel Management is providing guidance on how federal leaders can best meet new expectations.
Alongside push on March 6 to improve training opportunities. presidential order President Joe Biden has called on government agencies and federal labor unions to reestablish relatively informal forums. OPM said that if effectively implemented, labor-management forums can improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and organizational performance, while reducing potential conflicts between labor and management. Information for March 13th.
“We have seen examples of work and management forums working to improve safety policies, especially for employees in dangerous jobs. There are a lot of them,” Tim Curry, OPM’s deputy associate director for accountability and workforce relations, said in an interview. “We think agencies and unions should look at this as an opportunity to improve the way agencies operate.”
As part of an executive order earlier this month, agencies have until September 3 to develop and submit to OPM an implementation plan on how to re-establish the labor-management forum. This is a way for both management and union representatives to collaborate on human resources issues. This forum is typically outside the collective bargaining agreement and is intended to provide an opportunity to reach agreement on concerns and questions before HR issues escalate.
Under the new Executive Order and subsequent OPM guidance, agencies and unions will also be required to demonstrate through metrics and data how their forums are impacting engagement satisfaction and organizational performance.
Government agencies and federal labor unions have long used labor-management forums as a tool to address employee concerns and seek to improve the workplace. This often results in both time and cost savings.
“They work together to identify problems in the workplace,” Curry said. “They are proposing ideas and solutions to address these issues in ways that better serve the public and actually accomplish the agency's mission in a better way.”
Labor-management forums have existed for many years; 2017 Executive Order They disbanded during the Trump administration.
OPM returns in 2021 under Biden administration blue light on Labor-management forum. But the use of the forum was not mandatory until Biden signed a new executive order, formally revoking a 2017 executive order from President Trump in the process.
With the new executive order, “some agencies may already be ahead of the game and others may need to catch up,” Curry said.
Of course, each agency will take a somewhat different approach to the requirements of the Executive Order. According to OPM, labor-management forums are not one-size-fits-all. However, this guidance still outlines some broad strategies that agencies can consider, such as developing a common vision for what the forum should aim to achieve and what issues it will cover. providing.
“We recommend that both countries address each other's interests and focus on working together to develop mutually agreeable solutions that address those interests,” Curry said. . “But we also need agency leaders to show support for the forum from the top down, not just union leaders. We need them to show it to lower management and union representatives. We want them to model the behavior they want to see.”
Mr. Curry also said the agency must assess and address any remaining obstacles to labor relations resulting from the series of layoffs that have now been rescinded. presidential order The Trump administration has previously limited the scope of collective bargaining.
“I want to assure the agency that there are no further outstanding issues that could become an impediment to moving forward with other issues that should be addressed in the forum,” Currie said.
Agencies and unions may run into some problems if they try to come up with a plan by September. For example, OPM notes in its guidance that there may be resistance from either party or even the agency employees themselves.
In such cases, Curry said it's important to keep in mind how the forum is structured and what its true purpose is.
“The Forum is not a co-management arrangement, as some believe. We advise the Forum to address this early,” Mr Currie said. “While management is encouraged to discuss issues with trade unions before making management decisions, trade unions do not waive their right to collective bargaining on matters discussed in forums. isn't it.”
Susan Tsui Grundman, head of the federal Labor Relations Board, said working toward a labor agreement may be difficult at times, but the results can be significant.
“A recent example is that in the wake of all the budget issues, to avoid furloughing employees, we actually let go of an entire floor in our corporate office and merged two floors into one. I told the vice chairman of the board that this really has the makings of a disaster,” Grundmann said at the March 27 rally. FLRA City Hall. “But what he said was, 'It's a lot easier when we get along.'” So no matter what the future holds, we want our internal unions to guide us and lead by example. I promise to be by your side. ”
Agencies can utilize OPM resources to address concerns and questions leading up to and after the September deadline. The Federal Bureau of Mediation and Conciliation also provides the following services: guidance and advice About setting up and using forums.
“These forums give front-line workers a more meaningful voice in the operations of government agencies and foster discussions about improving the effectiveness of government services,” said Doreen Greenwald, national president of the Treasury Employees Union. Masu. Said He said this in a statement earlier this month. “The pre-decision input inherent in labor-management conversations gives employees a say in agency decisions, solves problems in a non-adversarial manner, addresses workplace issues that impede efficiency, and helps workers Our experience is that this is a productive means of improving service to Americans.”
Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not directed to users within the European Economic Area.
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Ahead of a September deadline for government agencies and unions to finalize plans to restructure labor-management forums, the Office of Personnel Management is providing guidance on how federal leaders can best meet new expectations.
Alongside push on March 6 to improve training opportunities. presidential order President Joe Biden has called on government agencies and federal labor unions to reestablish relatively informal forums. OPM said that if effectively implemented, labor-management forums can improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and organizational performance, while reducing potential conflicts between labor and management. Information for March 13th.
“We have seen examples of work and management forums working to improve safety policies, especially for employees in dangerous jobs. There are a lot of them,” Tim Curry, OPM’s deputy associate director for accountability and workforce relations, said in an interview. “We think agencies and unions should look at this as an opportunity to improve the way agencies operate.”
As part of an executive order earlier this month, agencies have until September 3 to develop and submit to OPM an implementation plan on how to re-establish the labor-management forum. This is a way for both management and union representatives to collaborate on human resources issues. This forum is typically outside the collective bargaining agreement and is intended to provide an opportunity to reach agreement on concerns and questions before HR issues escalate.
Under the new Executive Order and subsequent OPM guidance, agencies and unions will also be required to demonstrate through metrics and data how their forums are impacting engagement satisfaction and organizational performance.
Government agencies and federal labor unions have long used labor-management forums as a tool to address employee concerns and seek to improve the workplace. This often results in both time and cost savings.
“They work together to identify problems in the workplace,” Curry said. “They are proposing ideas and solutions to address these issues in ways that better serve the public and actually accomplish the agency's mission in a better way.”
Labor-management forums have existed for many years; 2017 Executive Order They disbanded during the Trump administration.
OPM returns in 2021 under Biden administration blue light on Labor-management forum. But the use of the forum was not mandatory until Biden signed a new executive order, formally revoking a 2017 executive order from President Trump in the process.
With the new executive order, “some agencies may already be ahead of the game and others may need to catch up,” Curry said.
Of course, each agency will take a somewhat different approach to the requirements of the Executive Order. According to OPM, labor-management forums are not one-size-fits-all. However, this guidance still outlines some broad strategies that agencies can consider, such as developing a common vision for what the forum should aim to achieve and what issues it will cover. providing.
“We recommend that both countries address each other's interests and focus on working together to develop mutually agreeable solutions that address those interests,” Curry said. . “But we also need agency leaders to show support for the forum from the top down, not just union leaders. We need them to show it to lower management and union representatives. We want them to model the behavior they want to see.”
Mr. Curry also said the agency must assess and address any remaining obstacles to labor relations resulting from the series of layoffs that have now been rescinded. presidential order The Trump administration has previously limited the scope of collective bargaining.
“I want to assure the agency that there are no further outstanding issues that could become an impediment to moving forward with other issues that should be addressed in the forum,” Currie said.
Agencies and unions may run into some problems if they try to come up with a plan by September. For example, OPM notes in its guidance that there may be resistance from either party or even the agency employees themselves.
In such cases, Curry said it's important to keep in mind how the forum is structured and what its true purpose is.
“The Forum is not a co-management arrangement, as some believe. We advise the Forum to address this early,” Mr Currie said. “While management is encouraged to discuss issues with trade unions before making management decisions, trade unions do not waive their right to collective bargaining on matters discussed in forums. isn't it.”
Susan Tsui Grundman, head of the federal Labor Relations Board, said working toward a labor agreement may be difficult at times, but the results can be significant.
“A recent example is that in the wake of all the budget issues, to avoid furloughing employees, we actually let go of an entire floor in our corporate office and merged two floors into one. I told the vice chairman of the board that this really has the makings of a disaster,” Grundmann said at the March 27 rally. FLRA City Hall. “But what he said was, 'It's a lot easier when we get along.'” So no matter what the future holds, we want our internal unions to guide us and lead by example. I promise to be by your side. ”
Agencies can utilize OPM resources to address concerns and questions leading up to and after the September deadline. The Federal Bureau of Mediation and Conciliation also provides the following services: guidance and advice About setting up and using forums.
“These forums give front-line workers a more meaningful voice in the operations of government agencies and foster discussions about improving the effectiveness of government services,” said Doreen Greenwald, national president of the Treasury Employees Union. Masu. Said He said this in a statement earlier this month. “The pre-decision input inherent in labor-management conversations gives employees a say in agency decisions, solves problems in a non-adversarial manner, addresses workplace issues that impede efficiency, and helps workers Our experience is that this is a productive means of improving service to Americans.”
Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not directed to users within the European Economic Area.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2024/04/opm-outlines-how-agencies-unions-can-recreate-labor-management-forums/ OPM outlines how government agencies and unions can restructure labor-management forums
