Union News Archive
08/20/2010
8/20/10: This morning, the SEC notified all employees that new amendments to 17 C.F.R. Subpart 200.735 are now in effect. These amendments originally included changes to 5 C.F.R. Section 4401.103, which deals with “Outside Employment and Activities.” In recent discussions with management, the Union objected to the SEC’s proposed changes to the outside employment rule on the grounds that they were overly broad and would result in a limiting of SEC employees’ First Amendment rights. As a result, the SEC agreed to narrow the scope of the rule and engage in bargaining with the Union over the... Read more ...
07/30/2010
A recent report by the Cato Institute claims that federal employees make 26% more than private sector employees, and calls for a freeze or cut in federal wages. Some have seized on this issue, seeking an immediate federal pay freeze. Fortunately, recent efforts to freeze federal pay were defeated.
During a severe economic downturn with concomitant high rates of unemployment, it probably should come as no surprise that there will be those who will seek to scapegoat federal employees. However, the factual assertions used to support a federal pay freeze or cut do not withstand close scrutiny... Read more ...
07/30/2010
During the years prior to 2010, the relationship between the front line staff and senior management at the Miami Regional Office had become strained. At MIRO, many of the staff believe that for too long, they were managed through intimidation and cronyism, rather than through respect and cooperation. This management approach had a negative impact upon employee morale, which was reflected in the poor scores that MIRO management received in the 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey. So, when the SEC announced on December 16, 2009, the appointment of former SEC attorney Eric Bustillo as the new... Read more ...
07/30/2010
Raymond Titus, a staff accountant in the SEC’s Boston Regional Office, recently returned from an outreach program to help Haitian families who work in the sugarcane industry in the Dominican Republic. This was his fourth trip to help Haitian migrants living there.
Four years ago, Ray and other members of his church went to San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic to see how they could help. Because of poverty and political unrest in Haiti, many Haitian migrants leave Haiti and work in the sugarcane fields in the Dominican Republic. There, they cut sugar cane, working long hours for... Read more ...
07/30/2010
New Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations Director Carlo di Florio recently took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for Chapter 293 Works:
Chapter 293 Works: Now that you have been at the SEC for a few months, can you share with us some of your initial thoughts about government service, and in particular about leading the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations?
di Florio: Leading OCIE is a tremendous honor and privilege given our important mission, our great team and this historical moment of regulatory reform. I explored government... Read more ...
07/30/2010
Since his appointment as the new Director of the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, Carlo di Florio has embarked upon an ambitious agenda to review the examination program from top to bottom, with an eye towards proposing changes to OCIE’s structure. As part of that process, he appointed several Task Forces comprised of OCIE senior managers to assess various components of the examination program and make recommendations for changes. He also invited all OCIE employees to submit their ideas and recommendations for improvements.
In connection with this “self-assessment,” the... Read more ...
07/30/2010
The SEC launched its new pay for performance system on July 1, 2010 in the Division of Enforcement and the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. At the same time, SEC management also announced its intention to implement this new system throughout the rest of the agency over the course of the next year. Many of you have been directed to execute new “Performance Work Plans” and “Individual Development Plans” as part of this rollout. We know that employees have questions about these plans, and the Union’s position on the SEC’s new system. Below is a brief discussion of the basic “... Read more ...
07/30/2010
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently released the results of its 2010 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), which was previously known as the Federal Human Capital Survey. According to OPM, the FEVS has been updated to gather more useful data that will help improve the federal workplace and increase productivity. OPM has also announced that the survey, previously conducted every two years, will now be conducted annually.
The survey focuses on employee perceptions that drive job satisfaction, commitment, engagement and, ultimately, contribute to the accomplishment of... Read more ...
06/16/2010
6/16/10: House and Senate conferees on the financial regulatory reform legislation voted today to permit the SEC to fund itself through the fees that it collects. This provision was originally included in the Senate bill, but not in the House bill.
NTEU has strongly supported SEC self-funding. As an independently funded agency, the SEC would be much better able protect the interests of investors by hiring the experienced professionals it needs, instituting the compensation and retention policies necessary to retain those employees, and developing the new technology upgrades that it... Read more ...
06/15/2010
6/15/10: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on June 14, 2010, issued final regulations to modify definitions related to "family member" and "immediate relative" in the context of its rules governing absences and leave. Under these new regulations, same-sex domestic partners of federal employees will be treated the same as other family members for purposes of sick leave, funeral leave, and similar workplace benefits.
The union submitted comments endorsing these proposed changes. NTEU saw the changes as positive steps to enhance workforce equality and help make the federal... Read more ...
06/15/2010
6/15/10: NTEU National President Colleen Kelley today took sharp issue with a proposed amendment to Senate tax legislation that would freeze the pay of federal salaries and cap the number of federal employees.
In this letter to every senator, President Kelley said there is no need to freeze the pay of frontline federal workers—many of whom are suffering in difficult economic circumstances with spouses or other family members unemployed. At the same time, she warned that a freeze on the number of employees would “likely dramatically increase the number of contractors,” at considerable... Read more ...
06/10/2010
6/10/10: On June 9, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) attempted to offer his bill (S. 3341) as an amendment to the Senate’s “tax extenders” and unemployment compensation bill (H.R. 4213), to allow an early 2010 implementation of FEHB coverage to young adult dependents up to age 26, on their parents’ health insurance family plans. The planned effective date is now January 1, 2011 under the new health care reform law. Many private sector companies have voluntarily committed to covering their employees’ dependents on their health insurance plans in 2010. The Cardin amendment would have allowed OPM to... Read more ...
06/02/2010
6/2/10: At the end of last week, the Senate defeated an amendment by Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John McCain (R-AZ) to freeze federal pay next year and to cap the numbers of federal employees in federal agencies, by a vote of 53-45. NTEU had worked with the Senate Appropriations Committee to defeat the amendment. We also sent this letter to every U.S. Senator urging opposition to the amendment.
The House followed the Senate in blocking a proposal that would have imposed a pay freeze on federal pay until 2011. The House vote was 227 to 183.
NTEU was loud and clear in its opposition... Read more ...
06/02/2010
6/2/10: As expected by NTEU, the Chicago Regional Director of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) last week dismissed petitions filed by NTEU and another union seeking a union representation election among employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“This was the expected decision,” said NTEU National President Colleen Kelley, “and sets the stage for an appeal to the three-member FLRA asking it to review its 2003 decision turning down a request for a representation election in TSA because agency employees lack collective bargaining rights.”
President Kelley... Read more ...
06/02/2010
Over the holiday weekend, Vincent Michael Tennant's soccer team took 1st place in the Boys Under 9 Division at the Disney Memorial Day Soccer Shootout. Vincent is the son of Chapter 293 steward Terry Tennant from the Miami Regional Office. Congrats to Vincent and his team!
05/12/2010
5/12/10: NTEU said today it strongly supports a Senate bill, introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), to provide the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with authority to have health insurance carriers extend coverage to young adult dependents to age 26 on their parents’ health care plans in 2010. Similar legislation was introduced in the House last week by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
The legislation would be a technical correction to the recently-approved health care reform bills and would allow OPM to implement the coverage for dependents to age 26 under the Federal Employee Health... Read more ...
05/12/2010
5/12/10: In a bipartisan action, a key House committee today approved a resolution commending federal employees for their contributions to the nation and supporting the goals of protecting and improving their safety and security.
The Sense of the House Resolution, H.R. 1187, was introduced by Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) shortly after the tragic attack of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Austin, Texas. It is in line with the call of NTEU National President Colleen Kelley for public officials to proudly support federal employees and the work they do and take a more assertive... Read more ...
05/12/2010
5/12/10: Late last week, HR 1722, the Telework Improvements Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Representatives John Sarbanes (D-MD), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA), was blocked from passage on the House floor due to obstruction by the Republican Study Committee. This bill, which largely follows recommendations NTEU has made in congressional testimony, was passed by the appropriate House subcommittee and full committee with unanimous support from both Democrats and Republicans.
During Committee consideration, members of Congress from both parties described the bill as one... Read more ...
05/05/2010
5/5/10: It is time for the federal government to make family leave a real benefit for federal employees, and not a mirage they cannot afford to use, NTEU National President Colleen Kelley told a Senate subcommittee yesterday. Review her testimony here.
“Being able to substitute leave without pay under the Family and Medical Leave Act with four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child will make a significant difference in the lives of both parent and child,” said President Kelley. NTEU strongly supports paid parental leave.
President Kelley made that point as part of her... Read more ...
05/05/2010
5/5/10: Legislation introduced yesterday by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) providing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with authority to cover young adults up to age 26 on their parents’ health care plans in 2010 has strong support from the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
NTEU National President Colleen Kelley said the Union is advocating for a technical correction that would allow OPM to implement the coverage for dependents up to age 26 under Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) during 2010.
This technical clarification would allow OPM to act prior to Patient... Read more ...
04/26/2010
President's Perspective, Winter/Spring 2010: When a huge storm dumped massive quantities of snow on Washington in February, it caused actual, rather than just figurative, gridlock in our nation’s capital. The federal government effectively shut down for the entire week. In agencies such as the SEC, however, much work continued to be accomplished because of telework.
The Union negotiated this program for employees across the agency. And, during our last round of contract negotiations, we fought hard to expand this important benefit by negotiating the “Expanded Telework Program,” under... Read more ...
04/26/2010
The Union and the SEC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) settling a national grievance that Chapter 293 filed last year in response to the imposition of an attire policy by Lori Richards, the erstwhile Director of the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE). Under the MOU, SEC examination staff are no longer required to wear business attire on all examinations.
Ms. Richard’s 2008 attire policy for OCIE examination staff provided that all employees were required to wear formal business attire whenever they were on examinations, even in cases where a... Read more ...
04/26/2010
On April 13, 2010, Chapter 293 held its spring Member Benefits Fair at the SEC’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This event was hosted by Almera Carroll, our Member Benefits Coordinator. Participating vendors included Liberty Mutual Insurance, BJ’S Wholesale Club, Colonial Insurance, the National Treasury Credit Union and, for the first time, Chapter 293 welcomed Weight Watchers.
Union Members at Headquarters in DC and Virginia were able to meet face to face with these vendors and take advantage of various products available only to Union members. Door prizes were handed out during the... Read more ...
04/26/2010
As you know, the SEC is currently developing a new performance-based pay system at the agency. This work will have a profound impact upon the culture of the agency. At this point, the Union has serious reservations and concerns regarding the system that is being developed by SEC management.
To understand what is currently happening, it is instructive to consider the history of performance-based pay at the SEC. Since Congress first mandated that the agency implement a pay for performance system nearly a decade ago, NTEU has consistently advocated for a system based upon four basic... Read more ...
04/26/2010
Early last month, hundreds of NTEU members from around the country, representing more than two dozen federal agencies, gathered for the Union’s 2010 Legislative Conference. Representing the SEC at this year’s conference were Chapter 293 President Greg Gilman, Chapter 293 Legislative Coordinators Dan Barry (BRO) and Bill Friar (Corp Fin), Chapter 293 Executive Board members Joel Crepea (NYRO), Jerry Kohn (CHRO) and Cate Whiting (SFRO), and Chapter 293 members Kate McHale and Rebecca Moore.
In light of financial regulatory reform legislation that is currently being considered by Congress, this... Read more ...
In light of financial regulatory reform legislation that is currently being considered by Congress, this... Read more ...