June 25, 2010
At NTEU's Urging, CBP Begins Nationwide Roll Out of Telework
There is good news for CBP employees who want to work from home but have met resistance from CBP at the local level.
In response to a grievance filed by NTEU, CBP headquarters has finally begun the nationwide implementation of telework by, for example, issuing guidance on the implementation of the new telework article. The telework policy allows some employees (mostly those not required to wear uniforms) to work from home up to five days per week as long as the tasks can be completed at an alternative site.
Guidance released by the Office of Field Operations and Office of International Trade recognizes that decisions about telework applications should be based on employee tasks and not an arbitrary limitation on the number of days for teleworking. Also, the guidance encourages employees to discuss their telework applications with their supervisors instead of requiring employees to submit written justification for why the schedule should be allowed.
NTEU will closely monitor the implementation of the telework article to make sure it is being applied correctly and eligible employees are able to participate in the program.
Look for the NTEU-CBP Contract Guide
Want to get familiar with your rights and benefits under Phase I of the new contract without reading hundreds of pages?
 With the new NTEU-CBP contract guide, members can get quick access to some of the most important parts of the contract, implemented last month. The easy-to-understand overview of articles covers everything from grievance procedures and telework to the new child care subsidy program.
Members will soon receive this handy pocket guide in their mailboxes. The guide, along with the complete contract, is also available at CBPunion.org.
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DHS Convenes Labor-Management Forum
President Colleen M. Kelley and several NTEU chapter leaders sat down with management from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earlier this month for the first ever agency-wide Labor-Management Forum.
The forum was
created to fulfill President Obama’s executive order establishing labor-management collaboration in the federal sector. NTEU's goal in participating in the forum is to help with problem-solving and conflict resolution, as well as to give employees an avenue for pre-decisional involvement in workplace matters affecting them.
As expected, this initial meeting was spent in organizing the forum for future discussion on substantive topics.
NTEU also met separately with CBP management to begin discussions on establishing labor-management forums at the CBP national and lower levels. Talk centered around the current state of NTEU-CBP labor relations and how to improve trust and communication, as well as the details of the forum such as charters and the scope of issues that will be raised.
Federal Pay Freeze Proposals Blocked
The latest proposal to freeze the 2011 federal pay raise and cap the size of the federal workforce has been blocked in the Senate.
On Thursday, June 17, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) to freeze federal salaries. Just last month, similar proposals were advanced and later rejected in the House and Senate. In each instance, NTEU has been vocal in its strong opposition to a pay freeze. In advance of each vote, President Kelley sent letters to members of Congress pointing to the estimated 22 percent pay gap in favor of the private sector and the financial strains many front-line federal employees are experiencing in this difficult economy.
NTEU will continue to oppose any efforts to deny federal employees a pay raise in 2011.
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