Last week, leaders of five separate U.S. Army organizations came together with NFFE National President William Dougan and NFFE Local 178 President Lisa Foust to sign into effect a labor-management partnership forum at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland.
This partnership is the culmination of years of working with management to resolve issues employees are facing in the workplace. The forum is intended to encourage and maintain an open dialogue with the federal employees at APG. While the hopes of the forum is to address employee issues at the lowest level, it will not replace statutory requirements already set.
“It is great to see the cooperation of management at Aberdeen Proving Ground,” said NFFE Local 178 President Lisa Foust. “This is a good-faith measure that will go a long way in creating a more open environment to address concerns APG employees have in their workplace.”
In a move of solidarity, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Director Dale A. Ormond recognized the difficulty civilian federal employees have faced in recent years and outlined hopes that the forum would provide an outlet to alleviate federal employee workplace issues.
“It has been a very challenging year for our federal employees with furloughs, budget reductions and many other challenges. We are looking forward to this agreement to help us structure the conversation and enable us to provide the teaming that our employees need and deserve,” Ormond said.
The partnership was welcomed by NFFE National President William Dougan, who provided remarks at the charter signing ceremony.
“There is a renewed anticipation of labor and management working collaboratively across the federal government to make government more effective in delivering the services the American public expects,” Dougan said. “Labor-management forums provide a vehicle for labor and management to work together to resolve workplace issues early on.”
“They also serve to promote engagement of the workforce by giving employees a voice in workplace matters and allow management to tap into the creativity and innovation that employees have to offer. I applaud your joint commitment to work together.”