The National Federation of Federal Employees / IAM

1. TheNational Federation ofFederal Employees /IAM • David V. Chevalier • FSC Vice President, R4 • 801-625-5216 • davidchevalier@fs.fed.us

2. Your Union is Here and We are Here for You! If this is a “sign of your times” in the workplace, then you’ll love what your union wants to share with you. Your union is here to help make your work environment better, your work life better, and even offer benefits to make your personal life better.

3. National Federation of Federal Employees NFFE was found in 1917. In this 1921 photo, President Warren G. Harding poses with the NFFE Executive Council on the White House lawn.

4. Our Affiliation with the Machinists I.A.M.A.W. • Combined, NFFE and IAM are a very large (over one million members) and diverse (over 1,000 different industries and sectors) modern labor organization. • We provide incredible training opportunities free to union officers and staff. • Strong and reputable lobbying power with our non-partisan political action committee.

5. What Employees and Management Should Know about NFFE/IAM • We don’t want to manage… • We respect management… • We want to promote good management… • We are the voice of the people and potentially a voice for management… • As elected representatives, we have to answer to our own constituency… • The union isn’t perfect, but you do have the opportunity to make it even better by getting involved, becoming a part of the solutions.

6. It’s not rocket science! Even Albert Einstein knew the value of a labor organization. Yes, he really was a Union guy! He helped to found AFT local 552, the Princeton Federation of Teachers in 1938.

7. What Employees and Managers ShouldKnow About How the Union Views Change • We know and accept that change is a natural and necessary force of any agency’s evolution… • However, we understand that change occurs best through predecisional collaboration and bargaining with input from the ground and mid-level employees… • Any agency enforced change should include effective monitoring procedures to evaluate the efficiency and competence of the new, changed condition(s)… • Often, the changes our agency are going through are NOT making us more efficient, being monitored properly, or well thought out before implementation! (Too often some one thinks something up, the agency just goes for it, and we all suffer the consequences, to include loss of valuable tax dollars, experienced employees and morale.)

8. So what’s NFFE/IAM done for me, for you? • Since 1917, the National Federation of Federal Employees has worked with the Forest Service to a mutual benefit; we’ve effectively lobbied and negotiated many of the working conditions we take for granted today. • Retirement annuities • Health benefits • Holiday pay • Over-time pay • Sick leave • Cost of living pay increases • Per-diem • Transfer of Station • Maxi-flex system • Health and Wellness plan • Within grade pay increases • Hazard pay • FERS sick leave conversion • …more to come with your help… to include more telecommuting

9. Don’t take it for granted Most folks alive today were born into a world with an eight hour work day. Life wasn’t always that way—it was through the tenacity of union people, union activists, and strong lobbying that permitted for your rest today.

10. How Does NFFE/IAM RepresentEmployeesToday? • Direct Representation • As a personal representative for employees in variety of forums—we get directly, “hands-on” involved. • Indirect Representation • Negotiated Master Agreement • Partnership Councils/Forums • Leadership Team Member • Lobbying and Legislative Efforts

11. Direct Representation • The unions have exclusive access to the labor relations system. That means we, as your union representatives, are the ones who represent you through official channels. • For more info , see the Law: 5 U.S.C., Chapter 71 • The law defines the appropriate units that the union represents. • The law mandates union participation and bargaining as a part of doing business. • The law establishes strict time lines to raise issues.

12. Direct Representation • The Forums • FLRA… a forum to address reprisals. • Arbitration… a cost effective forum for individual disputes. • EEOC, OWCP, MSPB, OSC, OGC… all forums for individual disputes.

13. Do you know your…Weingarten Rights? As a bargaining unit employee represented by a labor organization, you have the right to request representation from the labor organization (i.e. Union) at any investigative examination/interview where you reasonably believe the examination may result in disciplinary action being taken against you. You may make this request at any time prior to or during the interview. You just have to open your mouth and ASK! If requested, the agency may opt to: suspend questioning and grant your request then resume the interview; discontinue the interview; or offer you the choice to proceed with the interview without a Union representative or to forego the interview.

14. Do we have to work together this way? No, we don’t. Even though there are those times when nothing would feel better than to do a whack job on some of our faulty equipment. We need to work together through the power we hold as an organized labor unit. There’s more power in numbers.

15. Indirect Representation • Our Master Agreement(respected as one the best in Federal Govt) • Negotiated contract between management and the union at the national level. • Governs almost all aspects of employer/employee relationships. • You can find a copy of this Agreement on your local union and Forest Service Council websites. • We offer Master Agreement Training • M.A. Training on CD-ROM • Yearly training opportunities

16. Indirect Representation • Partnership Councils/Forums • To involve Management and Union representatives as full partners in the identification of problems, as well as the development and implementation of solutions, in order to better accomplish the mission of the Forest Service. • To promote the use of interest-based bargaining in lieu of position-based bargaining when conducting negotiations. • To openly share information and afford bargaining unit employees the opportunity for involvement at the earliest, predecisional stage regarding personnel policies, practices, and conditions of employment on the Forest, Unit or CCC.

17. Indirect Representation • The Leadership Team • As the union, we have a seat at the table as a full voting member of the leadership team, locally, regionally and nationally. • We contribute items, issues and concerns to the agenda that are important to our employees. • Unlike Congress… we vote on behalf of our constituencies’ in ways that are consistent with the perspective from the ground. We vote to employees’ desires. • We place emphasis on employee development, fairness, and the critical importance of field going positions.

18. Indirect Representation • Lobbying and Legislative Efforts • Congress operates by applied pressure, as we’ve all seen. • Through solidarity and the sheer numbers of our union members, we can and do apply significant pressure affecting, writing and implementing legislation. • We are a strong voice to provide a feedback loop to Congress of what is really happening on the ground. • With Congress calling the shots, any good thing that comes our way one year can be discontinued the next, absent our continued applied pressure and the voice of your federal union. • Yes… this does include your benefits and pay raises!

19. Legislative Issues • The FLAME Act • FS union members helped write the language that went into law. • Allows the FS to use set aside funds, before tapping into the FS budget, to pay for catastrophic fires. • 1039s and other Temps • Allow 1039s, temps and seasonals the ability to earn sick and annual leave, receive benefits, and create a “Pathway to Permanence”. • Recreation Issues • Campgrounds are closing or underserviced; they need to receive more ARRA funds. • Recreation employees are being rapidly downsized. • YET the public is recreating and using Forest Service roads, trails and campgrounds in record numbers! The public points the finger at those on the ground, in uniform, and it is not their fault.

20. Remember the Competitive Outsourcing Threat? • Well, the former President’s Management Agenda has been thwarted… but not killed outright. • Contracting and Outsourcing do remain a threat. • Although our agency is in a rebuilding phase in 2010-2012, plans continue to show more contracting and still doing some outsourcing (although much leaner). • Your union plans to keep up the good fight to reduce contracting and eliminate outsourcing altogether. Work inherent to government must stay that way.

21. Regionally Negotiated MOUs • Positive work environment • Regional Pre-wraps • Fire issues (compensatory lunch/space-blankets/etc.) • Renegotiated Health and Wellness plans • ADR toolkits

22. Locally Negotiated MOUs • Local Pre-Wraps Planning • Bunkhouse Agreements • Local Space and Office Move Policy • Local Health and Wellness Plan • Standby-vs-“On-Call” • Fire issues

23. Employee Concerns Remain • Could competitive outsourcingre-emerge? Is re-organizing, moving, and downsizing still a threat? And the big one, “…will my job still be here tomorrow?”(Or are they going to ship me off to some new or remote location?)

24. What does NFFE/IAM do for us? • Gives us the ability to predecisionally address adverse impacts of agency actions. • Grants us advance notice of changes in working conditions. • Entitles us with the ability to grieve certain personnel actions. • Provides us a legitimate alternative to the agency’s interpretations of law, rule, and regulation. • Grants us the ability to challenge “reform” through the courts. • Provides us with a unified voice on Capitol Hill. • Provides us with a unified voice in the News Media. • Provides us with a unified voice to influence public opinion. • (Allows us some freedom from subjectigation to Hatch Act!)

25. When You Feel The Load Turn Into Overload… Your union may not always be able to help you out of every bad situation… but we can sure take a look and see if there is something we can do to come to your assistance. You just need to know who to contact depending upon where you’re located.

26. Wrapping up… • With our union, your union, federal employees have a legitimate voice in the workplace with opportunities to be catalysts for positive change and an improved work environment.

27. You haven’t missed your opportunity This is the first chance many of you have had to hear about your union and what we do. So then, here is your opportunity to ask questions, learn more and then join us in the ongoing efforts we make every day for working people in our agency.

28. For more information • Contact your Regional Forest Service Council Vice President • R1 Ron Angel (208)265-6646 • R2 Bernedene Robertson (307)431-2226 • R3 Randy Gonzalez (866)926-0618 • R4 David Chevalier (801)975-5216 • R5 Dan Duefrene (530)949-2440 • R6 Jim Campbell (541)573-4335 • R8 Dante' Whittaker (256)362-2909, ext 136 • R9 JozefDrodowski (989)739-0728, ext 3017 • R10 Barney Freedman (907)828-3246 • FPL Mark Davis (608)231-9474 • CCC Larry King (606)354-2861 • WO Chris Berry (703)605-5305