Yesterday evening, NTEU Chapter 293 and SEC management finally reached a final agreement on the ground rules for negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at the SEC. Today, the union named its bargaining team for those negotiations, which will commence during the week of April 25.

Last fall, the union and management both noticed each other of their intent to reopen the CBA at the SEC to make modifications. The current CBA expired in early January 2022. After more than six months of wrangling over the “ground rules” for these negotiations, and just two days before the parties were scheduled to meet with the Federal Service Impasses Panel to resolve the dispute, management finally relented and agreed to utilize the same basic ground rules the two parties have relied upon for more than twenty years in prior CBA negotiations.

Today, the union named its CBA Bargaining Team: Greg Gilman (NTEU Chapter 293 President); Lance Alworth (NTEU Chapter 293 Vice President); Melissia Buckhalter-Honore (NTEU Chapter 293 Secretary); Drew O’Brien (CHRO); Lawrence Pisto (BRO); and Cate Whiting (TM). This team will be assisted at the table by NTEU Chief Negotiator Frank Barczykowski and NTEU Field Representative Cassie Pangas. All of these team members will bring considerable skills and experience to the negotiations.

Management has also named its team: Richard Best (NYRO); Armita Cohen (ENF); Tanya Duckett-Brennan (OCOO); Chuck Koretke (EXAMS); Almee Primeaux (IM); and Sharon Sheehan (OCR). The management team will be assisted by Chief Negotiator Peter Gimbrere and Counsel Matthew Ferguson.

“We are pleased to get to the table to finally discuss substantive issues related to the CBA,” NTEU Chapter 293 President Greg Gilman said this afternoon. “Unfortunately the union was forced to waste a considerable amount of time on unnecessary procedural disputes over the past several months,” he went on to say. “As a direct consequence, given the limited amount of time remaining before management’s currently projected office reopening on June 6, it is unlikely that the parties will be able to reach agreement on issues of grave importance to SEC employees, such as telework program improvements, in advance of that date. Nevertheless, we will make our best efforts to resolve any disagreements as quickly and efficiently as possible under the circumstances.”

The parties will exchange their initial CBA proposals in late April. The bargaining sessions will begin on April 26 and continue throughout the summer. The terms of the current CBA will remain in force and effect throughout the bargaining process. The union will keep you posted regarding its progress when appropriate.