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

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."

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.

*** 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!!!

The House and Senate Conference Committee working on the DoD Authorization Bill (NDAA) has voted to repeal NSPS.  We remain hopeful that the language will be signed by the President as part of the NDAA.  Getting to this point has been a 6 year battle.  As you may recall, I sat through 30 days of meet and confer with DoD on their NSPS proposals.  During that 30 day process DoD alluded to the fact that DoD employees represented by unions were a threat to national security.  Their position was insane and disrespectful to all DoD employees.  During the first week of meetings IAFF, NFFE and the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Council quickly decided we needed to battle NSPS to the end.  The United Defense Workers Coalition was created in a hallway in Rosslyn Virginia when me, Rick Brown (NFFE) and Ron Ault (metal trades) and a few others decided we had to unite and fight NSPS or it would be the end of employee rights and representation in DoD.  A week later we organized a press conference in the lobby of the IAFF HQ building and announced the formation of the UDWC and our plans to battle NSPS to the end.  The UDWC eventually grew to an organization with 36 labor unions that represent employees working for the DoD.  I still believe that DoD thought the UDWC would fall apart.  But the Executive Council of the UDWC of which I am a member fought to keep the group together for the great cause of defeating attacks on employee rights in the federal sector.  The original NSPS proposals were fought in Court and politically by the group and we successfully retained our 5 USC Chapter 71 bargaining rights, and ensured that bargaining unit employees were not placed under any form of NSPS.

That said, NSPS is still out there and over 200,000 employees are in the NSPS pay for performance system.  Knowing that the presence of NSPS is still a threat even if our unit members are not in NSPS- we have continued to battle the issue on the political front.  This has involved many meetings and a lot of time over the years.  At times it seemed NSPS was here to stay and that at some point DoD would place all the employees into the system.  But we kept fighting and working all the angles available to us politically to kill NSPS.

Now we are on the threshold of having NSPS repealed and DoD being ordered to place all the employees back into the general schedule system by January 2012.

There are also other issues in the NDAA report that I have been actively working on that are beneficial to our members.  Changes approved by the conference committee will allow Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employees to receive credit for unused sick leave toward their retirement annuity, and will ensure retirement equity by providing locality pay for federal workers in Hawaii (F263), Alaska, and the U.S. Territories (Guam F150). 

The committee also removed dangerous language from the Bill that would have increased the maximum entry age for fire fighters from 37 to 47.  Our main concern with raising the maximum entry age was that soon after the maximum retirement age would also be raised to 67 and I lobbied heavily to get the language removed from the Bill.

In other news you will be pleased to hear that the FLRA is once again open for business.  The new FLRA Board appointees are in place as is the General Council.  The new General Council for the FLRA, Julia Clark, comes to the FLRA from IFPTE (AFL-CIO).  A reception for the new members was held this week which I attended.  It would appear the FLRA is already getting to work on over 300 outstanding cases that have been awaiting action.  During the Bush administration the FLRA was cut to bare bones in anticipation of stripping away employee rights as part of the NSPS provisions.  Granted it may take some time for the FLRA to get back to full speed but I am convinced that you will soon see a change in FLRA activity in dealing with issues presented to them.

Additionally, Susan Tsui Grundmann has been appointed as the Chair of the Merit System Protection Board.  Susan comes from NFFE (AFL-CIO) where she was the General Counsel and has been a friend for many years.  I am sure that she will do an excellent job over at the MSPB.

It would seem that the political front is beginning to change a bit in DC as evidenced by recent appointments and the Armed Services Conference Committees actions.  It is about time.  Frustration is part of our lives as union leaders.  But we must never give up the fight whether it is at the national level fighting NSPS and pushing for reforms or at the local level battling for fair and equitable treatment for our members.

Regards and stay safe…  

Jim Johnson

Federal Fire Fighters

International Association of Fire Fighters -AFL-CIO

As thousands converge on Colorado Springs this weekend for an annual ceremony honoring the nation’s fallen firefighters, members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department will be behind the scenes, attending to the families of the fallen.

On Saturday, 122 names will be added to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ black granite wall in Memorial Park.

Volunteers from Colorado Springs will be on hand to receive their loved ones arriving for the ceremony — and provide sun-up to sun-down chauffeur service, guided tours and hospitality.

“From touchdown to takeoff, we have a local firefighter with them,” said Mike Smaldino, president of Colorado Springs Professional Fire Fighters Local 5. “We show them our beautiful city. We show them the sights, the scenery. And pretty much anything they need, we do it.”

As many as 5,000 people — including area residents — are expected to turn out in Memorial Park for the 22nd Annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service in Memorial Park.

The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. near Pikes Peak and Hancock avenues. It will feature a performance by the Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale, a fly over by four Air National Guard F-16s from Buckley Air Force Base and a procession that includes an estimated 500 motorcyclists and 30 to 40 firetrucks.

The memorial includes the names of union members who have died in the line of duty, including those who died in the past year of illnesses linked to the hazards of the job, such as heart attacks and cancer.

This year’s honorees include two Houston firefighters who died in an April 12 blaze and a pair from Kilgore, Texas, who died in a Jan. 25 training accident.

William D. Pine, a Pueblo firefighter who died of cancer on Aug. 19, 2008, will be the only Colorado resident added to the wall this year.

Smaldino said that Saturday’s ceremony is for their family members.

“They’ve already been to multiple funerals, and that’s not what we’re doing here,” Smaldino said. “This one is a celebration of the individuals and to show their families that they’re not the only ones going through this.”

The IAFF Wall of Honor was created in 1976, and bears the names of the 2,152 other firefighters who have died in the line of duty since then. The IAFF plans to eventually add all the names of members who have died in the line of duty since 1918, when the union was founded.

To amend section 5542 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that any hours worked by Federal firefighters under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be excluded for purposes of determinations relating to overtime pay.

Mr. SARBANES (for himself and Mr. GALLEGLY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

To amend section 5542 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that any hours worked by Federal firefighters under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be excluded for purposes of determinations relating to overtime pay. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. TREATMENT OF HOURS WORKED UNDER A TRADE-OF-TIME ARRANGEMENTS. 

Section 5542 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

`(g)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any hours worked by a firefighter under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be disregarded for purposes of any determination relating to eligibility for or the amount of any overtime pay under this section. 

`(2) For purposes of this section-- 

`(A) the term `qualified trade-of-time arrangement' means an arrangement under which 2 firefighters who are employed by the same agency agree, solely at their option and with the approval of their employing agency, to substitute for one another during scheduled work hours in performance of work in the same capacity; and 

`(B) the term `firefighter' has the meaning given such term by sections 8331(21) and 8401(14), respectively.'.