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Management to Blame for Clearinghouse Failure

Local 476 President Eddie Eitches Updates the Bargaining Unit
January 24, 2012

Brothers and Sisters,

We had great hopes when we signed the Personnel Clearinghouse contract supplement with management on September 1. Created as a pilot program, the Clearinghouse was intended to improve workforce flexibility, benefitting workers and management alike.

Sadly, the Clearinghouse has been a complete failure--and the blame rests entirely with management.

Management claims that it has scarce resources. The Clearinghouse provided management with a tool to better allocate those resources, but management has ignored it. The Clearinghouse should have provided an efficient and effective way for employees to move (by permanent reassignment, detail, or rotation) to the most important positions HUD needed to fill.

Our contract supplement was strong and supportive. It has failed because management violated the intent of the agreement by imposing new limits: An employee's current supervisor may prevent the employee from moving to a Clearinghouse position, and a worker may not be reassigned to another series. We have filed an unfair labor practice on these issues and expect to win.

Even more importantly, management has not advertised even one position through the Clearinghouse. Secretary Donovan needs to instruct all Assistant Secretaries and other cylinder heads to advertise the vacancies they are allowed to fill first with the Clearinghouse. We have the talent here. We need a critical mass of about fifty positions to evaluate the Clearinghouse pilot program. Let's put a freeze on outside hiring. Let's put a freeze on management's resistance to new ideas.

Tell Secretary Donovan that "We want to believe in HUD." There is a reason why morale is so low at HUD, and why HUD tied for last place in the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government ranking.

Give us a reason to believe in HUD. Tell Secretary Donovan to force managers to place their vacancies in the Clearinghouse to make this win/win operation a reality.

Eddie

Local 476 Fights Management's Attempts to Limit Representation and Intimidate Your Representatives

HUD management has been trying to reduce your rights to Union representation. When you have less representation, it's easier for management to ignore your rights. Management is trying to intimidate your representatives and reduce the amount of official time available. Both of these actions are an effort to prevent you from having the representation you deserve and need. Local 476 is fighting to make sure you continue to be represented by your Union.

Management tried to intimidate your Union representatives by issuing performance ratings to Union representatives who spend a significant amount of time on representational duties. Those representatives are considered "unratable" according to federal rules and guidelines. After Local 476 filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, Management agreed to withdraw the improper ratings and abide by OPM requirements. Read the settlement agreement.

Management also attempted to reduce the amount of official time that your Union representatives can use. Official time is the time your Union representatives can spend representing you during their regular duty hours. Local 476 has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against HUD in order to make sure that you have Union representation when you need it.

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HUD Paid Interest for Delayed Performance Awards

In pay period 11 (June) of 2011, HUD finally paid interest to employees whose performance awards were delayed in 2003, 2004 and 2005. These payments came more than 18 months after a Federal Labor Relations Authority arbitrator issued a decision on a grievance brought by AFGE Council 222. If you did not receive a payment and believe you should have, or have questions about the amount received, please contact Rose Brady, (202) 402-7462. View the decision and award. View the Notice to All Employees regarding the settlement agreement of this matter.

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News that Affects You

HUD Settles with Local 476 over Rating Union Officials

January 27, 2012. In an effort to resist management's attempts to intimidate your Union representatives, Local 476 had filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the Federal Labor Relations Authority three months ago over HUD's attempt to issue performance ratings to Union representatives who spend a significant amount of time on representational duties. Such ratings violate federal rules on performance ratings. Management agreed to withdraw the improper ratings and abide by OPM requirements in settlement of the unfair labor charge. Read the settlement agreement.

Local 476 Issues Demand to Bargain on Official Time for Fitness Activities

January 4, 2012. Recognizing that federal law permits agencies to establish health service programs to promote and maintain employees' physical and mental fitness, Local 476 filed a Demand to Bargain over its proposal to allow up to three hours per week for bargaining unit employees to participate in fitness activities without charge to leave. Read more.

Local 476 Charges Agency with Unfair Labor Practice over Clearinghouse Implementation

December 7, 2011. Local 476 filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against HUD with the Federal Labor Relations Authority regarding the way the agency is implementing the Clearinghouse program. Read more.

Local 476 Charges Agency with Unfair Labor Practice over Official Time

November 1, 2011. Local 476 filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against HUD with the Federal Labor Relations Authority regarding the way the management calculates official time. Official time is the time your Union representatives can spend representing you during their regular duty hours. HUD is attempting to reduce the amount of official time available to representatives working on your behalf. Read more.

FLRA Orders Hearing on HUD Failure to Pay Interest on Untimely Awards

September 30, 2011. In response to an unfair labor practice complaint filed by Council 222 of HUD Locals, the Federal Labor Relations Authority ordered a hearing for November 18. In 2006, an arbitrator had ordered HUD to pay interest to employees on awards since 2003 that were not paid in a timely manner. The arbitrator's decision became final and binding in 2009. The ULP charges that HUD has unreasonably delayed the interest payments. Read more.

Local 476 Reaches Agreement with Management on Move to Portals

September 28, 2011. AFGE Local 476 is pleased to have reached an agreement, Local Supplement 53, with HUD management related to the move of several OGC divisions to the Portals Building. Management signed an agreement stating, among other terms, that management will honor the provisions of the HUD Telework Policy and related National Supplement. The policy allows for up to three days of regular telework and two additional days of situational telework per 40-hour work week. Situational telework includes temporary office moves among the covered situations. Upon signing the agreement, the Local withdrew its request for assistance with the Federal Service Impasses Panel. The Impasses Panel request was filed on September 14 following management's relocation of OGC personnel to the Portals Building without reaching any agreement with Local 476. Management had refused the Local's requests for mediation and refused to recognize the similarities between the Portals move and the Capitol View moves.

HUD Pilot Personnel Clearinghouse Created

September 1, 2011. Eddie Eitches, on behalf of Local 476, reached an agreement with HUD management today to implement a personnel clearinghouse for Headquarters and DC field office employees. Read more.

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