September of 2016 marked the beginning of some significant and exciting changes within our union, starting with the NFFE National Convention where delegates elected a new National President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Council. Since then we have celebrated the retirement of former President William R. Dougan, restructured our National Office to provide more efficient service, and hired a slate of dedicated new unionists to serve our members.
While many of our sisters and brothers have already had the opportunity to meet and work with some of NFFE’s National staff, others have not yet become acquainted with the people who ensure the smooth operation of our union and advocate on behalf of federal employees every day.
Over the coming weeks, we will introduce each of our new National staff member, starting with Jeff Friday, NFFE’s General Counsel.
Friday came to NFFE headquarters in December of 2016, replacing former General Counsel Stefan Sutich. Prior to joining NFFE, Friday served as the Assistant General Counsel at the Department of Defense Education Activity for a year, and before that dedicated almost 30 years to the National Treasury Employees Union as the National Counsel with additional Organizing Director responsibilities.
Shortly after completing law school at George Washington University, Friday went on to serve as a patent attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. There he served as the local lodge president of an NTEU unit. During his time at the PTO, Friday would learn the importance of pairing exceptional representation with a commitment to organizing, increasing the local’s density from 40 to 90 percent in just three years!
With over 35 years of experience in the federal sector, Friday has a unique understanding of federal employees and the issues they face in their workplaces, at the bargaining table, and on Capitol Hill.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to continue working with unionists and federal employees. I love the diversity of work I encounter at NFFE. Every day is different, and I really appreciate getting to dive into everything from arbitrations to recruitment efforts,” Friday remarked.
Friday resides in Virginia with his wife of 32 years, Reina. They have two children and a 2-year-old granddaughter named Virginia Ann.