The Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management, Stephanie Barna, has politely refused to meet with the unions of the United Defense Workers Coalition regarding preliminary implementation discussions of the newly-announced three-tier personnel system. Her refusal requires NFFE and our Union allies to act in order to create a more willing and welcoming embrace of the Unions that represent a majority of employees in the Department of Defense (DoD).
The United Defense Worker’s Coalition, of which NFFE is a member, is encouraging all Unions to submit a request to engage in pre-decisional involvement at the level of recognition for preliminary discussions with the agency over the implementation of DoD’s recently announced three-tier performance evaluation system.
Under President Obama’s Executive Order 13522 – Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services, dated December 9, 2009, agencies are required to allow Unions to engage in pre-decisional involvement in all workplace matters to the fullest extent practicable, without regard to whether those matters are negotiable subjects of bargaining.
If Unions at DoD installations around the country are submitting requests, DoD will be forced to take notice and invite us to the table. And it is vitally important that organized labor show the administration and the Department of Defense that we have statutory rights which must be enforced.
NFFE DoD Locals should submit a demand to their agency counterparts seeking to engage in pre-decisional involvement under EO 13522 for discussion and the sharing of information and views concerning the implementation of a three-tier performance appraisal system in DoD.
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