Thursday, August 17, 2017
Washington, D.C. – Recently, the Federal Labor Relations Authority released the names of newly appointed panelists to the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP), nominated by President Donald Trump. According to the professional biographies released by the agency, the new panelists appear to embrace a common disdain for the labor community which places them in direct conflict with the labor-management dispute resolution mission of the agency.
“The Trump administration pulled out all of the stops on this one,” said Randy Erwin, National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE). “The diversity of this panel ranges from people who publicly campaign against unions to people that actively litigate against unions. I have little faith that this panel can properly evaluate a dispute without inherent bias or personal ideology interfering.”
The FSIP panel serves in a part-time capacity and resolves impasses between federal agencies and unions representing federal employees arising from negotiations over conditions of employment under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act.
“FSIP must perform its functions in a legitimate way—which is required by law—and its panelists must not betray the oath of office they took when they accepted their positions,” continued Erwin. “They have a responsibility to the American people to impartially perform their official duties. This is something we will watch very closely during their tenures.”