President Directs Executive Branch Departments and Agencies to Enhance Workplace Flexibilities and Work-Life Program; Help NTEU280 Make Sure EPA Management Delivers

On June 24, 2014, all bargaining unit employees should have received an e-mail from NTEU280 President Amer Al-Mudallal asking them to take a very brief survey about working hours.  The subject of the e-mail is “Survey to Help NTEU Preserve Flexible Working Hours.”  (If you are a BUE and have not received that survey, please contact us and we will get it to you right away!  It will take you only a couple minutes to complete!)

In recent months, we at the union have heard of EPA managers who have been acting to restrict employee work schedules, including informing employees who had previously worked past 6 p.m. that they can no longer have their longstanding work schedules.  We want to know how widespread the problem is, and how important being able to work before 6 a.m. or after 6 p.m. is to our employees.  So far, we have received a high response rate to the survey.  We would like to hear from every single employee in the bargaining unit. 

It is interesting to note that, a day earlier, on June 23, 2014, President Obama issued a memorandum to all Department and Agency heads directing them to take certain steps to expand access to workplace flexibilities, including in work schedules.  The President noted that the “Federal Government must also identify and eliminate any arbitrary or unnecessary barriers or limitations to the use of these flexibilities and develop new strategies consistent with statute and agency mission to foster a more balanced workplace.” 

We applaud the President’s directive and hope that EPA management will embrace it as far as accommodating different work schedules and expanding the availability of telework.  We at the union are acutely aware that EPA has slipped down in the Federal Viewpoint Survey results, losing ground to agencies such as US Patent & Trademark Office and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which grant employees greater flexibility in work hours and telework.  We want to ensure that EPA’s management response to the President’s direction is more helpful than, e.g., merely sending a mass mailer e-mail once a year to tell employees telework exists (whether they can get it or not).  Your union wants to see a substantive response that includes expansion of work schedule options and encouragement of telework. We applaud the President’s official recognition that work-life balance is an important part of attracting and retaining a highly talented and motivated work force.      

Now more than ever, your membership in NTEU280 matters.  Together, we can make a difference. 

You can read the Presidential Memorandum here:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/23/presidential-memorandum-enhancing-workplace-flexibilities-and-work-life-.

If you are not yet a member of NTEU280 and wish to join us, please fill out an 1187 and get it to a chapter representative (you can get an 1187 here: https://www.nteu.org/Documents/SF1187CMK.pdf).  Remember, we are currently running a limited time $100 reduction in dues offer for new members (http://nteu280fishbowl.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-summer-membership-drive.html)!

NTEU280 Fishbowl is now on Twitter.

Members:  NTEU 280's "Inside the Fishbowl" newsletter is now on Twitter. 

Follow us: @nteu280

When we publish new Fishbowl articles or announcements we will tweet them. 

2014 Summer Membership Drive

Get a Rebate on Your Dues!

2014 Summer Membership Drive

Receive $50

for each new member you recruit from June 1 to September 30

 

New members receive $100

for joining during June, July, August, and September!

 

Fill out a SF-1187 with the new member’s information, have the new member sign the form, and staple a note to the form with your name and address. Once her or his eligibility is confirmed, each of you will receive your rebate check by mail.

 

Thank you for supporting NTEU.

NTEU280 Advocates for Bike Facilities at Federal Triangle

One of the unfortunate effects of the upcoming consolidation moves at Federal Triangle is the loss of EPA’s excellent bike commuting facility at 1310 L Street.  At L Street, we estimate that approximately 20% of the employees, who work for the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), are bike commuting at least some of the time.  Part of the reason for the high number of bike commuters at L Street is undoubtedly the attractiveness and convenience of the facility there – it is safe, it is clean, and it is well-designed specifically to meet the needs of cyclists.  This July, the lease is up and OAR will leave L Street - and its desirable bike room - behind.  OAR employees will be absorbed into the Federal Triangle complex and into the existing bike facilities, which are already crowded.  The only attractive bike facility at Federal Triangle is in the Reagan Building, and it is at capacity, with a waiting list for lockers.   

On May 14, 2014, the article “EPA Will Close Its Best Bike Room” by Jim Titus, appeared on the Greater Greater Washington blog.  [ http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/22825/epa-will-close-its-best-bike-room/ ] We highly recommend that article, which includes photographs of the L Street bike room.  The blog entry was widely shared, “tweeted” and circulated throughout the bike advocacy community, generating many helpful comments including one by “Sweaty Cyclist” who remarked on the original blog post on May 27, 2014: “Sounds like you need a union!” 

In fact, your union has heard the concerns of our bike commuters loud and clear.  NTEU280 has been working hard to get EPA management to fully grasp the advantages of providing all EPA employees access to safe, clean, and attractive bike facilities.  We understand that we could lose many bike commuters if the L Street facility is not adequately replicated or replaced at Federal Triangle.  We continue to reach out to management to get them to understand the same concerns that the union is hearing from employees.  We continue to seek solutions that will encourage bike commuting. 

To this end, NTEU280 has submitted various move-related demands to management to ensure that Federal Triangle is able to absorb 148 new cyclists without any adverse impact upon those already at Federal Triangle and using the facilities.  EPA bike coordinators at Federal Triangle and at L Street have identified the extent of existing bike facilities and have outlined the needs and challenges.  NTEU280 will continue our efforts to get management to understand employee concerns and respond appropriately.  Thus far, management has only offered an inadequate number of racks and lockers in response to our demands, and they have offered no new shower or other facilities.  We hope to change their minds through our continued efforts on behalf of employees who bike to work. 

Each and every employee who rides a bike to work potentially removes a car from the road.  There is typically a cost savings associated with bicycling – e.g., gas, parking, and other transit expenses.  Bike commuting reduces emissions and promotes employee wellness.  It is a win-win.    

 

EPA has preached a message of bike commuting and sustainability to others; it is time for our management to practice what they preach at our own headquarters!