Dear AFGE Local 252 BUEs, The time to fight for remote work is right now. Today, the agency held a so-called “town hall,” allegedly to seek our feedback on their proposed changes to our collective bargaining agreement around flexible workplace policies. The message they sent was clear and frankly outrageous. The tone ranged from condescending to dishonest and highlighted nothing so much as leadership’s total and complete disconnection from our work. Here are the worst things we heard today: - “I’ve read hundreds of studies that say that in-person work is beneficial.” We’d like to see even one of those studies. All our research so far, as well as what’s coming out of OPM, says the opposite. We’re skeptical that “hundreds” of studies about this topic even exist.
- “None of us need to be martyrs doing this work in the name of the precious children.” This is both condescending and nonsensical. We’re professionals, not martyrs, and we demand the agency bargain with us in good faith.
- Among the most egregious outcomes of this “town hall” came at the end, when all AFGE officers and those who had joined remotely were kicked out of the meeting as soon as the Q&A began. This means the agency deliberately excluded only union officers and those joining from a remote location. This blatant, cynical attempt to divide and conquer ED is a clear sign the agency isn’t going to play fair. We need to respond accordingly.
Our union leaders viewed this “participation opportunity” with extreme skepticism from the day it was announced, and our worst suspicions were confirmed by this fiasco. Our members are disturbed and angry, and with good reason. One member, who works remotely with reasonable accommodations for disability, says this town hall sent their “level of concern into overdrive.” Another said, “This town hall is completely insulting…Cindy and Denise need to apologize to staff.” There were numerous critiques about the chosen panelists, none of whom had enough experience in the agency to speak to our collective concerns as bargaining unit employees (BUEs) who did the work to make our agency very productive despite the pandemic. One BUE wrote us to say, “The perception of management’s dishonesty and lack of transparency was evidenced by the fact the [all virtual participants were kicked out of the meeting] during questions and answers. It showed a true reflection that employees cannot trust or respect that leadership.” “In my opinion,” that member says, “the briefing was an insult to one’s emotional intelligence in the workplace.” Unlike other federal agencies where there is no union protection, we don’t have to let ED implement policies we know to be harmful to ourselves and our mission. They’re legally obligated to bargain with us in good faith. This town hall shows they’re prepared to ignore that obligation. It’s time for us to start acting in concert. Here’s what you can do today to show the agency we Expect Respect and we’re prepared to fight for it: - JOIN THE UNION. Encourage your colleagues to join, too. They need to see we’re unified. This is a critical juncture in our campaign; ED sent a message, and now’s the time for us to send one back.
- FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA. We’ll need to have ways of communicating with each other rapidly that aren’t controlled by the agency.
- SIGN THE PLEDGE. If you haven’t already, sign your name to say We Expect Respect!
- MARK YOUR CALENDARS. AFGE Local 252 is planning a series of meetings we’re calling Real Town Halls, where you’ll have a genuine open forum to share your experiences around flexible work. If the agency doesn’t want to take our feedback seriously, we’ll gather it for them, and they can hear it at the bargaining table. (Meeting invites will be sent to your ed.gov email addresses)
- OCR Boston, OCR ATL, OCR Philly - Wednesday, 6/28 10-11am EST 6/28
- FSA - Thursday, 6/29 4pm-5pm EST
- OCR SF, OCR Seattle, OCR Denver - Thursday, 7/6 3-4pm EST
- All other POCs (tbd)
In Solidarity, Sheria D. Smith President Local 252 |
|
|
