September 2021 Federal Employment Law Training Group Newsletter
Maybe, Hopefully, Possibly…or Wishful Thinking?
A few days ago, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Tristan Leavitt to the third and final vacancy at the Merit Systems Protection Board. Leavitt has worked at the MSPB for years and has been running the place since Mark Robbins’ term expired in early 2019. Now, here’s hoping that the Senate will do what they failed to do in the last Administration – vote and confirm these three pending members so that the backlog of around 3,500 Petitions for Review can finally start to be processed.
September is in full swing and we are looking forward to the end-of-FY virtual event Federal Workplace 2021: Accountability, Challenges and Trends. With 16 short sessions over the course of the week tackling the topics most important to your agency in the coming months, there’s a place for everyone. Attend whatever sessions you prefer, from one to all. We can’t wait to have you join us.
This month’s top story is, of course, about the new vaccine mandate (and check out a recent FedUpward Podcast where Katie Atkinson and I discuss the legal issues in), but also see articles on pro-union leadership, workplace investigations and more.
Deborah J. Hopkins, FELTG President
Now that Vaccines are Mandated for Federal Employees, Can You Ask an Employee to Provide Your Agency with a Copy of Their Vaccine Card?
By Deborah Hopkins, September 14, 2021 Stories about falsified vaccination cards are now peppering my newsfeed, including government seizure of fake vaccine cards at the border, and highlights of people who got caught attempting to travel to Hawaii with fake...
The Good News: LR Statute Doesn’t Say Unions are Always Right
By Ann Boehm, September 14, 2021 In a recent training session, an attendee raised this scenario: “A political appointee is close friends with an agency union official, and we are pretty much being told to do whatever the union wants. Do you have any advice for how a...
Tools, Techniques Needed: Conducting Investigations When Trauma is Involved
By Shana Palmieri, LCSW, September 14, 2021 The goal of Federal workplace investigations is to collect information in an objective manner through a series of techniques that provides information to uncover the ‘truth,’ allowing the agency to make appropriate decisions...
Establishing Conduct Expectations: A Sample Policy Part II
By Barbara Haga, September 14, 2021 This month, we tackle a few other aspects of the work and conduct expectations that I began in last month’s article, in which I tackled work schedules, attendance and other related matters. INTERNAL WORK REQUIREMENTS. The following...
Be Careful What You Ask for – And How You Respond
By Michael Rhoads, September 14, 2021 I’ve always regarded Labor Relations like the old Rubik’s Cube. There are a seemingly endless number of twists and turns before arriving at the final solution. I admire the tenacity of those who have made a career out of LR. It’s...
Well, Excu-u-use Me! Sometimes, Feds Say the Darndest Things
By Dan Gephart, September 14, 2021 Ever hear about the Federal employee who walked out of Whole Foods without paying for the two tacos in his hands? When stopped by security, he claimed he “thought the tacos were comped for Federal employees.” Or how about the Fed who...
What Happens if the EEO Director or Personnel Attorney is Named in an EEO Complaint?
By Deborah Hopkins, September 14, 2021 Here’s the scenario: A complainant files multiple EEO complaints including complaints against an attorney in the agency’s Office of General Counsel and the agency’s EEO Director. The complainant requests the attorney and the EEO...