NFFE Newsroom

Last month, members of Local 1765 at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas conducted a swearing-in ceremony for the local’s recently elected Executive Board. Occupational Therapist Wanda Starbenz was formally sworn in as President of Local 1765, along with her team of elected officers.

The IAMAW Grand Lodge has announced a new per capita tax rate for Local Lodges in 2023, raising NFFE member dues to $32.38 per pay period.

Election Day is less than a week away. With so many key issues on the ballot this year, it is important that NFFE-IAM Members have a plan to make their voices heard at the polls.

NFFE members of Local 1953 working at Barksdale Airforce Base outside of Shreveport, Louisiana have signed a historic collective bargaining agreement (CBA). As a result of a favorable Federal Service Impasse Panel (FSIP) decision argued by the NFFE legal team, the CBA stipulates that Air Reserve Technicians (ARTs) will now wear a special patch to distinguish them as civilian employees rather than active military personnel.

Last week, NFFE set an internal organizing record by signing up over 100 new Forest Service employees as dues-paying members of the union. It was the first time in NFFE history that an organizing campaign resulted in the addition of over 100 members from one agency in a single week.

The Winpisinger Center’s call for 2023 Leadership Programs has been distributed to Local and District Lodges. Members must be registered by an officer of their local lodge.

Yesterday, NFFE sent a joint letter addressed to President Biden, OPM Director Ahuja, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, and Interior Secretary Haaland on wildland firefighter workforce reforms. The union teamed up with Grassroots Wildland Firefighters and the U.S. Hotshots Association to urge the President and agency leaders to take action to improve pay, housing, work-life balance, and other concerns.

In just a few weeks, the Federal Benefits Open Season for the 2023 plan year for health insurance under the FEHB Program, dental and vision insurance under FEDVIP, and flexible spending accounts under FSAFEDS, will be held from November 14 through December 12.

NFFE is encouraging all veterans to take advantage of the IAM Veterans Services Program. The program assists veterans in understanding and applying for earned benefits and helps with submitting claims, so that veterans and their families have access to the multitude of benefits offered to former servicemen and women.

Today, NFFE received a notification that the Department of Defense (DoD) is extending its emergency telework policy until further notice. The extension is a result of advocacy from the Federal Workers Alliance, a coalition of 34 unions representing civil servants, including NFFE. The group sent a letter to both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees earlier this month urging members of Congress to request an extension from the DoD.