VA’s Bad Faith Bargaining Following Ratification Failure
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY: Our Most Sacred Obligation
February 9, 2021EEOC Official Time Rule Update
February 16, 2021Today we filed a national grievance over the Department’s conduct during concentrated mediation following the Union’s overwhelming vote to not ratify the tentative agreements in the successor term Master Agreement. The Grievance objects to the VA’s violation of the Parties’ Ground Rules and statutory violations, including that the Chief Negotiator come to the table with authority to negotiate on all conditions of employment and with a sincere resolve to reach agreement.
Today we filed a national grievance over the Department’s conduct during concentrated mediation following the Union’s overwhelming vote to not ratify the tentative agreements in the successor term Master Agreement. The Grievance objects to the VA’s violation of the Parties’ Ground Rules and statutory violations, including that the Chief Negotiator come to the table with authority to negotiate on all conditions of employment and with a sincere resolve to reach agreement. The VA’s Chief Negotiator did not have proper authority AND implied that he had no authority to negotiate the matters identified in President Biden’s Executive Order 14003. The VA fled from discussing proposals and coming to agreement. Then, the Department ended all discussions before the 30-day timeline expired. As a remedy, we are seeking that our proposals be imposed, or alternatively, that the VA restart the clock and bargain in good faith. We will keep you updated as we pursue this grievance.
