11/15/06: The term negotiations between NTEU and the SEC continued last week in Washington D.C. These negotiations marked the seventh straight month of bargaining sessions regarding changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. During these sessions, the parties discussed the following issues, among others:

• Article 3 (Employee Rights): Attempting to modify the requirement that an employee comply with a management order when it conflicts with applicable standards of professional conduct, extensions of filing deadlines when management denies a request to meet with a Union representative.
• Article 6 (Mid-Term Bargaining): Discussing appropriate filing deadlines and briefing requirements when management proposes a national or local change.
• Article 7 (Work Schedules): Negotiating details surrounding the creation of a new 4/10 work schedule, whether to permit employees to earn credit hours while participating on 5/4/9 work schedules, and expansion of core hours.
• Article 11 (Telework): Seeking expansion of the highly successful telework program.
• Article 14 (Employee Recognition Program): Seeking to increase the transparency of the awards program by requiring an annual report with data on the total number and amount of all awards paid.
• Article 18 (Details): Seeking to prevent management from commencing and ending details for the purpose of avoiding temporary promotions to higher graded positions.
• Article 19 (Training): Seeking to fortify the Upward Mobility Program.
• Article 24 (Childcare Subsidies): Seeking to increase the maximum family income for participation.
• Article 26 (Attire): Opposing management's efforts to impose a more restrictive dress code.
• Article 28 (Sick Leave): Opposing management's attempt to require five consecutive sick days to utilize advanced sick leave.
• Article 29 (Family Leave): Making changes to more accurately reflect the governing regulations regarding family leave.
• Article 32 (Grievance Procedure): Opposing management's efforts to make the amount of an employee's merit pay increase ungrievable.
• Article 33 (Arbitration): Opposing management's efforts to seek automatic dismissal, with prejudice, of any arbitration that is not heard by an arbitrator within 120 days.
• Article 39 (Union Representation and Official Time): Negotiating whether to add an additional 50% time Union employee, and whether to reduce the total bank hours available to Stewards for representational issues.

During the November discussions, the parties were able to tentatively agree to the following provisions: Article 10 (Overtime and Compensatory Time); Article 20 (Employee Orientation); Article 40 (Office Relocations and Openings); and Article 41 (Labor-Management Relations Committee). The main points of these agreements include the following:

• Under Article 10, the parties agreed to language changes regarding the use of compensatory time prior to using annual leave, the forfeiture of unused compensatory time, and the use of compensatory time off for travel.
• In Article 20, the parties agreed that each employee will be entitled to up to one hour of duty time per year, and up to two hours during the first year of the new agreement, to attend NTEU-sponsored training to discuss questions regarding the CBA.
• In Article 40, the SEC agreed to withdraw its proposal to decrease the time within which the Union may submit negotiable proposals after notification of a move.
• Under Article 41, the parties agreed to increase the number of employees who may receive official time to participate in LMRC meetings, and to increase the number of meetings of the LMRC to four meetings per year.

Chapter 293's Term Contract Bargaining Team consists of NTEU Chief Negotiator Jurmell James and Chapter 293 members Greg Gilman, Veronica Lewis, Katie Nix, Dean Suehiro and Simmenetta Williams. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the ongoing CBA negotiations, please contact NTEU Negotiator Jurmell James or Chapter 293 President Greg Gilman.