Friday, the Senate confirmed by unanimous consent the appointments of Julia Akins-Clark as General Counsel and Ernest DuBester as Member to the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Both appointees have extensive backgrounds in federal labor relations, each having served federal employees in some capacity for nearly two decades.
Prior to her appointment as FLRA General Counsel, Julia Akins-Clark served as General Counsel to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), an AFL-CIO affiliated union – and close friend to NFFE – with a significant portion of their membership residing in the federal sector. Working with IFPTE for over 21 years, she has dedicated her career to representing professionals in both the federal and private sectors.
“Julia Akins-Clark has been a stellar advocate for federal employees throughout her long career with our brothers and sisters at IFPTE,” said NFFE National President William R. Dougan. “I have the fullest confidence that she will do an outstanding job in her new role as FLRA General Counsel.”
Ernest DuBester, who will serve as an FLRA board member, boasts 35 years of labor relations experience, nearly 20 of which were spent within the federal government. Serving as both member and more recently Chairman of the National Mediation Board, his experience in federal labor relations is second to none.
“We congratulate Julia Akins-Clark and Ernest DuBester on their confirmations,” said Dougan. “We look forward to working with them as they assume their new posts with the FLRA.”