National Capital Federal Fire Fighters

What's New at IAFF F121

Updated On: Jun 15, 2010 (09:48:00)

If you have not received all of the Uniform Allowance funds listed on the attached spreadsheet please let me know as soon as possible what you haven't received. For those due some kind of outstanding allowance, if you can provide me information about the funds you have received such as date and amount it would be helpful.

If you believe the information on the speadsheet is wrong, such as you started at NDW in a different Fiscal Year than is shown or other discrepancies, please let me know and send me any supporting documentation you may have that supports your position, such as an SF-50 or the like. Please give me as much information as possible that will help me make your case to the Navy.

If you are a retiree or former employee or friends with an retiree or former employee listed please share this email with them.

Retirees / Former Employees need to complete the attached SF 3881 form and fax it back to the union office at 410-293-5670. If you can scan it and email it back, that will work too. I will get these turned in to the appropriate personnel so that you may finally get your long past due uniform allowance.

Thanks & Be Safe

Gregory Russell,

President

National Capital Professional Federal Fire Fighters,

International Association of Fire Fighters Local F121

O:(410)293-5669 or C:(443)496-1590

Service Representative, IAFF 16th District

Federal District Representative, Maryland Professional Fire Fighters

Download:

SF 3881 ACH.pdf,

Copy of FIRE RETRO PAY Uniform Allowances version2.xls

Uniform Allowance UPDATE - Did you get one?

Posted On: Apr 08, 2010 (17:13:12)

By now you should have received your uniform allowance of $800 for FY10. This doesn't include Pax River (issued uniforms) and NNMC (we're still negotiating a resolution with NNMC). If you have not received the allowance please let me know ASAP so I can take this to NDW and make sure you get what is due you. Send me an email at grussell@iaff121.org. Don't delay or you may be left without your allowance!

Additionally, I am trying to track down the status of getting our members the additional $400 due to them as part of the FY09 allowance. After that we will address the "Initial" allowance for those hired since June 2008.

Gregory Russell,

President

National Capital Professional Federal Fire Fighters,

International Association of Fire Fighters Local F121

Elections 2010

Updated On: Mar 27, 2010 (22:50:00)

Brothers & Sisters,

The results of the nominations was recently sent out. As you saw, there isn’t a contested position and a number of positions in which no one is nominated. As such, members of the locations with a nominee will vote now through Midnight on on April 3rd to seat the lone nominee or reject that nominee.

As for the positions that will be left open due to the lack of a nominee, the Executive Board will be appointing a member to represent those locations. If no one is willing to come forward for a particular location, that location will not have a representative on the Executive Board. If you have an interest in being seated to represent one of the unfilled locations please forward a letter of interest to the Executive Board via the grussell@iaff121.org.

Please refer to Article 7 of our Local Bylaws for all of the details regarding this elections.

Additional questions may be addressed with the Elections Committee Chair, Brother Bill Bartenfelder at (717) 841-6310 (Cell) or (410) 293-5676 (Station).

Local F121 Prevail In ULP Charge

Updated On: Jan 09, 2010 (19:58:00)

LOCAL F121 Prevails in Unfair Labor Practice Complaint. Navy agrees to settlement to avoid going before Judge.

On September 24, 2008, the National Capital Federal Fire Fighters lodged an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the Federal Labor Relation Authority (FLRA), the federal agency charged with investigating and correcting violations of the Federal Labor-Management Relations laws (the Statute). The charge was for violating 5 USC 7116(a)(1) and (5).

The Union entered into an agreement with Regional Fire Chief Edward Stillwell of the Naval District of Washington which allowed for weekly meetings of the labor organizations leadership. The agreement was executed by the parties; the Union was represented by President Bruce Poore and the Agency by Chief Stillwell.

Under the terms of the August 2005 agreement, the Union was permitted official time for its leaders to meet to work on issues of concern and prepare proposals for additional Memorandums of Understanding. This agreement was to initially cover a period of six months but could be mutually extended.

Despite the expiration of agreement in 2006, President Poore led the meetings beyond the time of his retirement in December 2006. At the time of President Poore’s resignation in 2007 the weekly meetings were continuing under the leadership of President Russell. Maintaining the status quo, Russell continued to hold meetings with other union officials until it was unlawfully ordered to stop on July 2, 2008.

President Russell immediately raised objections to the agency’s representative, then Labor Relations Director Gari Jo Green. President Russell expressed that the agency’s actions were not in conformance with the applicable federal laws contained within 5 USC Chapter 71. He shared his objections with Regional Fire Chief Stillwell and demanded that the practice of granting official time continue.

In a letter to Director Green on July 3, 2008 President Russell insisted that the agency restore the previously authorized official time until such time as the agency complied with all terms of the Federal Labor-Management Statute. On July 3, 2008 Director Green responded with her own letter to Russell in which she denied the restoration of official time. Threats of discipline were issued for anyone that did participate in such a meet.

Navy officials then began an attempt to paint a picture that resembled something different than reality. Despite claims to the contrary, management officials were fully aware that these meeting were continuing under the leadership of both Poore and Russell.

The charge of an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) was filed with the FLRA in the fall of 2008. In the winter of 2008/2009 the FLRA investigated the complaint and found that there was sufficient evidence to merit that the FLRA charge the Navy with a violation of the Statute. However, due to the vacancy of the FLRA General Counsel’s position, the Chief Prosecutor for the FLRA, charges could not be issued until the office was filled. It was not until the summer of 2009 that the current General Counsel assumed office. Charges were finally issued in the fall of 2009 and the General Counsel’s office assumed the role of “Prosecutor” in this case.

By early December the FLRA issued a “Complaint (against the agency) & Notice of Hearing.” As part of that “Complaint” the FLRA laid out the basis of the charge to the Navy and informed them that FLRA would proceed to a January 25, 2010 hearing unless the Navy reached a settlement acceptable to the FLRA by the end of December 2009.

In order to avoid having to defend their actions before a Judge, on December 29, 2009 a Navy representative accepted the terms of the settlement on behalf of the Naval District of Washington. Within days, on January 4, 2010 both the Union and the FLRA accepted the settlement agreement.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, which became effective upon the signature of the Director of the FLRA’s Washington Region Office, the agency must immediately return to the pre-July 2008 practice of granting 8 hours of official time for as many as 7 union officials to meet weekly at the Union’s office. Additionally, the settlement requires a 60 day posting of a “Notice to Employees” which Regional Chief Stillwell is being directed to sign. That notice will state in part that the Navy will follow the Federal Service Labor Management Statute and they will not interfere, coerce or restrain employees in the exercise of their rights.

According to IAFF Local F121 President Russell “This is much larger than the weekly meetings; it’s about seeing that the Navy follows the law.” Russell says that the Union has consistently followed the law and the contracts the Union has in place with the Navy and believes that this action by the agency was retaliatory for the Union’s decision to censure Stillwell in May of 2008. He shared “we have to take steps to protect the rights of workers and unions, even in the Federal workplace. The Federal workplace is not immune to management officials that ignore or otherwise restrain and interfere with the rights of unions. With perseverance unions can prevail”

Download:

ULP Notice of Complaint and Settlement 1-4-10.pdf,

MOU#2 - Green Jul 2 2008.pdf,

Reply_MOU#2_letter_7-3-08.pdf,

MOU#2 - Green Response to Union July 03 2008.pdf

2% Pay Increase In January

Updated On: Dec 25, 2009 (21:33:00)

The locality salary rates have now been computed. OPM has declared that the Baltimore/DC metro area federal workers will receive a raise total of 2.42%. The pay chart on the members webpages have been updated to reflect this increase.

Federal employees will get a 2.0 percent raise in January, under a deal struck Tuesday night by House and Senate appropriators. Under the deal, feds will get an average increase in base pay of 1.5 percent and a locality pay raise that averages 0.5 percent.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the deal will benefit federal employees more than the plan outlined last week by President Barack Obama. The Obama plan would have given an overall 2.0 percent raise to federal employees' base pay with no locality pay increase.

"I am pleased the final bill will provide for locality pay to reflect variable costs for federal employees working in various job markets," Hoyer said. "This provision is critical to bringing federal pay in line with the private sector and enabling the federal government to compete for high-quality talent."

The pay raise is part of a 2010 omnibus spending bill that Congress is working on that will ball up all remaining government spending bills yet to be passed, except the Defense appropriations.

Hoyer also announced that he has received assurances from the Obama administration that pay parity — the notion that pay raises for federal civilian and military personnel be equal — will be included in the president's proposed budget for fiscal 2011, a change from current policy. Obama proposed a 2010 budget that included a 2.9 percent raise for military personnel and a 2.0 percent raise for civilian employees, citing the need for fiscal restraint.

"While I believe that this year's [pay] adjustment is reasonable in light of an economic downturn where millions of Americans have lost their jobs, I am disappointed that parity was not achieved," Hoyer said. "Like their military counterparts, civilian federal employees have made significant contributions to help our country respond to the challenges we face both domestically and abroad, and I believe their pay adjustments ought to reflect that. I have spoken to the administration about the importance of parity and have been assured it will be included in next year's budget."

Watch the IAFF Redmond Symposium

Posted On: Nov 08, 2009 (11:39:43)

Watch the IAFF Redmond Symposium online! All workshops and presentations are available on demand the day following the date the session is held. To view sessions, click here.

Taking place November 8-12, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, this 2009 Health and Safety Conference helps ensure that IAFF members have the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to protect themselves and their families and that fire fighter safety remains a priority in municipalities across North America.

For the full Redmond Symposium schedule and agenda, click here.

Obama Signs Law Ending NSPS

Updated On: Oct 28, 2009 (19:26:00)

President Obama today signed the bill.

The new law will make several changes to the federal human resources system including:

Allowing federal agencies to re-employ federal retirees on a limited, part-time basis without offset of annuity;
Permitting Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) workers to initially credit half, and in 2014 all, of their unused sick leave toward retirement;
Providing for pay system changes that will alter the retirement system for federal employees in Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. Territories;
Ending the Department of Defense's pay-for-performance personnel system, the National Security Personnel System or NSPS, restoring employees to the federal General Schedule pay system;
Allowing former federal employees under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) who withdrew their contributions to the retirement trust fund, and waiving retirement credit for those years of service, to redeposit their earlier contributions, plus interest, upon reemployment with the federal government.

For federal employees under the FERS system who were anticipating getting credit for their unused sick leave upon retirement, take note that the new system will not take effect immediately. It will be phased in. This means that until December 31, 2013, employees would receive a credit of 50 percent for unused sick leave. After this date, they would receive full credit for their unused leave.

IAFF Federal Firefighters Blanket Available

Updated On: Oct 22, 2009 (00:00:00)

*** ONLY 15 Blankets Remain ***

We are happy to announce that our National Capital Federal Fire Fighters online store, accessible via the www.iaff121.org website, has a unique product available to you. We have a limited number of very warm and comfortable IAFF 16th District blankets (pictured on the left) available just in time for the cold winter months to arrive. With a Federal Fire Fighters blanket you will surely be warm this winter.

Our blankets are "Made in the USA." It measures 63 inches by 90 inches, perfect for a twin or full size bed. It is made from the finest acrylic yarns on the highest quality knitting equipment available. These blankets are durable, long-lasting, machine washable and dryable. Each come packaged in a vinyl zipper case. They are constructed to last for many years. You won't be disappointed in the quality of this blanket.

Only 20 of these blankets are available and would make a great gift - order quickly before they are gone!!!

Download:

IAFF 16th Dist Blanket.JPG

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