NFFE Local 1563

A little closer to home(less)

2009-09-07T22:10:00Z

This article appeared in the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/education/06homeless.html?hp

Workers Song--Dropkick Murphy

2009-09-07T21:52:00Z

See if there is any truth here....

Fire up, Ready to Go

2009-09-07T21:32:00Z

The President has something to say to working families. This is much better that what we have seen in the pass eight years.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Origins of Labor Day

2009-09-01T19:10:00Z

We all like the end of summer holiday, but it came with a price. We tend to believe things just happen and we some be grateful when thing just happen. But as with many other move forward in America someone had to pay a heavy price. Here is a short video of the origins of Labor Day. If you are on a FS computer this video may not play due to being from youtube.

What say you Congressman Shuler?

2009-08-09T23:15:00Z

Where are you on this issue Congressman? There are many people in WNC in need. Are you standing with us?

It is time for Congress to move in the direction of the people.

People of WNC ?

Recovery Jobs in NC--Forest Service

2009-07-03T22:43:00Z

Here is listing of current outreaches for jobs with the Forest Service in NC.

ARRA 401 Project Leader

ARRA Assistant Fire Crewboss

ARRA Civil Engineer Tech -- Franklin

ARRA Civil Engineer Tech -- Asheville

ARRA Fire Crewboss

ARRA Program Support Clerk

ARRA Squad Boss--Grandfather RD

ARRA Squad Boss -- Pisgah RD

For other job listings USA JOBS.

Good News is Here for Accident Investigations & 401 Series Qualifications

2009-06-02T22:57:00Z

Recently NFFE - FSC announced the below. Take some time to read it here and let us know what you think. Your Union has been working on ths for quite awhile and we need to get it right since it affects many employee.

Update - June 1, 2009

I am pleased to report to two key victories for Forest Service employees! A few weeks ago, I reported that two long-running union efforts were on the verge of bearing fruit: reforming the safety investigation process and standing down the reclassification of fire program managers to the GS-0401 series (see May 5, 2009 FSC Update). I am pleased now to report the following achievements.

Confidentiality of Safety Witness Statements

Safety witness statements obtained by OIG at Thirty-Mile were ultimately used to prosecute one of our firefighters for criminal negligence. At Dutch Creek, a criminal investigation was initiated by a FS Law Enforcement Officer who participated in the safety investigation.

Your union strongly supports an effective safety program. However, the kind of candid disclosures and speculations that are needed in a safety investigation are not possible under the looming threat of prosecution. That is why we are working hard to ensure the confidentiality of disclosures made in safety investigations.

The NFFE FSC collaborated with agency Safety and Law Enforcement and Investigations (LEI) leadership to develop a policy for serious incidents. LEI investigations were already required for serious incidents. The problem is they were getting mixed up with Safety investigations. The new policy builds a firewall between them. We believe this new policy will significantly improve employee rights. Now:

LEI must inform Safety of whether a criminal investigation will occur prior to initiation of any safety investigation.
LEI and Safety investigations will be conducted independently.
Law Enforcement Officers will not participate in safety witness interviews.
Safety witness interviews will not be disclosed outside of Safety.
Employees will know the type of investigation being conducted and their rights before they participate

Be aware that safety witness statements even under the new policy are still subject to disclosure to third parties using discovery, subpoena, etc... Your union is actively pursuing legislation that would prevent disclosure under these circumstances. In the meanwhile, your union obtained agency agreement to inform employees about their rights at the time they are interviewed. Be sure you know the new policy and your rights in investigations. (See the links below for more information.)

Stand Down of GS-0401 Conversions

Following up on the momentum created by our recent Congressional testimony and recent contacts with Department and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) officials, your union has convinced the agency that an effective stand down of the conversion of fire program managers to the GS-0401 series was needed. Under the new stand down, no incumbents in GS-0401 will be removed from their positions and all new positions below the GS-13 level will be filled in the GS-0462 series. (See the links below for details.)

Although we worked hard to minimize negative effects, we realize the stand down is not perfect. In the long term, the agency has agreed to work to develop new job series to describe wildland fire management work. While details are yet to be worked out, we believe natural resource academic credentials should be required only when they are directly related to the duties of the specific position. We will press for field employees to be involved in the development of the new classification scheme.

Because development of new OPM series can take several years, we have recommended to leadership that the GS-0301 series be used in the interim. This series provides equivalent advancement opportunities as provided by the GS-0401 series. The NFFE FSC will continue to advocate for a fair career path that is open to all qualified firefighters.

In solidarity,

Ron Thatcher
NFFE Forest Service Council President

For a link to the Forest Service Council Site and more documents click here.

Memorial Day Tribute

2009-05-25T11:06:00Z

Always Remember

"Being in the minority is supposed to taste like a s#!^ taco"

2009-04-12T16:03:00Z

Jon Stewart gets it again....

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Baracknophobia - Obey

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

Congressional Testimony on March 19, 2008

2009-03-19T21:40:00Z

House Committee on Natural Resources

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, & Public Lands

Regarding

Restoring the Federal Public Lands Workforce

March 19, 2009

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today.

I’m Ron Thatcher, President of the National Federation of Federal Employees’ Forest Service Council. In this capacity, I am honored to represent approximately 20,000 dedicated public servants committed to the professional and ethical management of the 192 million acre National Forest System.

Forest Service employees are among the most dedicated public servants in the federal workforce. This is why obstacles to getting our work done decrease our morale as well as our effectiveness.

One such obstacle is the erosion of the land management workforce as more funds out of a flat budget go to wildfire suppression each year. We support the approach taken by the FLAME Act, in which funding for catastrophic wildfires does not come at the expense of land management work.

Another problem is a seemingly endless stream of ill-planned and harmful reorganizations and new technologies, methods, and policies. For example:

· administrative support personnel were removed from field offices and command to centralized service centers that report to Washington,

· a “self-service” model in which highly graded employees now perform more clerical and administrative tasks has been put in place,

· mandated use of phone support for field-going employees

· the rush to put new software in place before it is tested

Employees simply can’t get to the jobs they were trained to do because they are bogged down with administrative tasks they weren’t trained to do.

The centralization of Human Capital Management has probably been the biggest problem:

· The list of problems goes on and on. For example, we bring some 15,000 employees onto the roles each field season. Now, some are sent to work before they are “hired,” with a promise that we’ll get their pay to them later. When they go off the roles at the end of the season, their lump sum payments are often delayed by months.

· Employees at all levels report the occurrence of a shift of power and authority away from the field to the centralized Human Capital Management organization – an unintended consequence of removing the supervision of these functions from field managers. One employee noted, HCM is supposed to be a support function, but has become “the tail that wags the dog.” Another said, “It’s like they created a kingdom that answers to nobody.”

Finally, I want to mention the reclassification of fire managers into the GS-0401 series. This imposes new academic requirements which in many cases are unrelated to the duties of these positions. This may force as many as a third of our field generals in the war on fire out of the jobs they have successfully performed for years. Plus, it imposes a glass ceiling for some of our most capable leaders coming up through the ranks. The knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead a fire crew into harm’s way are not obtained in a classroom – they are obtained by specialized agency-developed training and on-the-ground experience.

So, how did we get to this point? In every case, we hear the same thing: leadership didn’t ask the field. In many cases, the ultimate decision can be traced all the way up to former President Bush: competitive sourcing quotas were the driving force behind the centralization and downsizing of Human Capital Management. Other decisions, such as timetables that prevented adequate testing of new software applications, were mandated by the Department or by even higher levels of the government. In these cases, even our agency leaders were excluded from the decision-making process.

However, not all sources of top-down, secretive, and unaccountable decision-making are outside of the agency. It is agency officials who elected to exclude field employees, even the agency’s top field managers with decades of experience, from the decision to reclassify fire managers.

We believe it is time for a new way. It is self-evident that front-line employees are the ones who know the best way to get their jobs done. We need to tap into this collective wisdom. To make the best decisions, the agency needs to engage employees as advisors, even as collaborators.

This is particularly true of the Forest Service, an institution in which one size doesn’t fit all because of the diversity of lands, from Alaska to Alabama, for which the agency is responsible.

This new way of doing business will require officials to embrace the principles of transparency and accountability articulated by President Obama. The payoff will be shared accountability and shared ownership – a decision informed by better information and a workforce motivated to make the decision work.

To encourage this, we recommend passage of a Federal Labor-Management Partnership Act and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009. These bills would help put an “accountability infrastructure” in place that would allow employees to collaborate with agency officials on the difficult problems we face.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, this concludes my oral statement. Thank you for the opportunity. I would be happy to answer any questions.

To Join <Click Here> To Read the full Testimony <Click Here>

In America’s National Forests, Stimulus Funds are Saving More Than Jobs

2009-02-26T13:05:00Z

Just last week, President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus package that he and Congressional supporters say will stimulate the economy and create millions of jobs for American workers. Now that the bill is signed, many Americans are looking to identify ways that stimulus spending will benefit their families and communities.

Wildfire prevention, an issue that’s importance is underscored by the devastating wildfires that have raged throughout the Western U.S. in recent years, represents one of the lesser known, yet no less vital, priorities funded by the stimulus package. The spending bill set aside $500 million for wildfire management, much of it for clearing forests of underbrush fuel, which otherwise contributes to dangerous and unmanageable forest fires. For millions of Americans residing in areas where wildfires are an ever-present and growing threat, this provision of the stimulus bill will help make their communities safer places to live.

Our nation’s wildfire problems have worsened significantly over the past two decades. Since the 1990s, the average acreage burned annually by wildland fires has increased by roughly 70 percent. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wildfires destroyed over 5.2 million acres of forest in the latter half of 2008, causing an estimated $2 billion in damage. During the same year, wildfires killed 16 people and leveled over a thousand structures.

“Due in large part to the accumulation of underbrush fuel in our nation’s forests, we have seen an increase in catastrophic wildfires,” said Ron Thatcher, NFFE Forest Service Council President. “When we are denied the manpower and resources necessary to carry out our mission, American lives and communities are put at increased risk. Let me tell you, it feels good to finally be heading in the right direction on this.”

As a percentage of the agency budget, Forest Service fire management activities have risen from 13 percent in 1991, to a projected 48 percent for 2009. Suppression costs exceeded $1 billion in six of the last nine years and are trending steeply upward. This leaves progressively less funding to perform other vital land management activities, including fuel reduction projects. The numbers document a diversion of effort, unintentional but real, toward fire suppression in lieu of fire prevention – an approach that is both dangerous and inefficient.

“Katrina taught us it is far more effective to prepare for inevitable events – for example with sturdy dikes and healthy wetlands – than it is deal with emergencies after inadequate protective measures have failed,” said Thatcher. “With wildfires too, it is more effective to spend money on the front end to reduce their frequency and intensity, than it is to spend money on the back end trying to contain them after they are out of control. This is exactly the kind of work the stimulus funding will support.”

While it remains to be seen if the stimulus bill will mark the beginning of an economic turnaround, there is little doubt that in funding wildfire management it is tackling a pressing national need. Strong bipartisan agreement on the need to reduce forest fuel loads in the battle against wildfires already exists. The stimulus bill provides much-needed resources for this essential work.

“One thing getting lost in the public discussion about the stimulus are the benefits of intelligent investments, like addressing the underbrush removal backlog in our nation’s forests,” stated Thatcher, noting that it will take years of sustained effort to repair decades of misguided management and neglect. “This serves a vital national interest and at the same time, creates jobs. Some might try to call addressing national priorities like cleaning up our forests big government, but I’d call it smart government.”

###

Established in 1917, the NFFE is the oldest union representing civil service federal employees. NFFE currently represents 100,000 federal employees government-wide, including approximately 20,000 workers at the U.S. Forest Service. NFFE is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Employee Free Choice

2009-02-21T12:43:00Z

Good Video....enjoy

Update

Get the Facts
Employee Free Choice Act

Stand for something or fall for anything

2009-01-14T23:34:00Z

If you continue to stay in the same place and wish for something better....don't be surprised if you don't get it. If something is worth having you most stand up and claim it. To remain silent and passive allows your rights to pass you by or someone else to decide you don't want your rights and remove them from you. All through the history of the nation men and women have stood up and said they wanted what was due them and the rest they would earn own their own work.

At Smithfeild in NC men and women stood up and demanded the be treated with dignity and respect. The working families wanted a place at the table, since they placed the food on the table why not be able to sit at the table too..

Your Labor Secretary

2008-12-19T00:34:00Z

What is good for working families is good for America

Open Letter to Chief Concerning Safety

2008-12-06T01:37:00Z

Local Officials, Members and Employees

Please forward the attached open letter to the Chief to all BUEs. The topic is reforming post-accident investigation policy. The letter begins, "Time and again, we have heard from Chief after Chief that the agency’s top priority is to ensure the safety of Forest Service employees. In contrast to this statement, many employees have come to believe that the purpose of post-accident investigations is less to develop lessons learned and improve safety than it is to assign blame. This belief is not easily refuted, given the current policy vacuum and recent events. With all due respect, if safety is truly the agency’s top priority, then it is long past time to back this statement up with policy..."

As noted in the letter, current policy does nothing to protect any information an employee may divulge in the aftermath of a serious accident, with the motive of ensuring that others learn from mistakes and the same thing never happens again. This is a noble motive, and one that NFFE agrees with wholeheartedly. However, current policy does not ensure that an employee's statements will be used solely for this purpose.

The term "Monday morning quarterback" is one of scorn and derision, invoking images of pot-bellied old men second-guessing the split-second decisions of world-class athletes in the heat of battle. We all laugh at these soft, old men. And yet, a US Attorney who has never been on a fire line may Monday-morning quarterback decisions made in the heat and chaos of a situation he never has and never will experience. We may laugh, but such a soft man may effectively have the power to have us, or our brothers and sisters, thrown in jail.

What serious and thoughtful person, after a tragedy, does not re-examine his/her actions? Does not consider how s/he could have acted differently, perhaps better, thus resulting in a better outcome? This is the kind of thought-process required in a safety investigation. An open and honest baring of the soul, for the sake of others. But this is not the kind of attitude to take when anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law...

This is not to say that investigations to address wrongdoing should not be done. It is to say that they should be done appropriately, with appropriate Constitutional protections in place.

As noted in your union's letter to the Chief, attached, there are policies that could be put in place to make sure that employees who bare their souls for the sake of their brothers and sisters who will follow them into harm's way will have their statements protected from Monday morning quarterbacks looking for a scapegoat. These policies have not yet been put in place by the Forest Service.

For these reasons, the NFFE Forest Service Council recommends that any bargaining unit employee asked to participate in an investigation pursuant to a serious accident refrain from doing so until appropriate policies are put in place. We are actively working with agency leadership and with Congress to put appropriate policies in place and will inform you of our progress. We look forward to the day when we may tell you that you may second-guess yourself in safety investigations with confidence that your thoughts will be used solely to improve safety for those who come after you. Stay tuned.

Be safe. Be careful. Be smart.

Ron Thatcher

President, Forest Service Council

The Story of Joe

2008-11-22T14:09:00Z

Joe is an employee of the Little Pine Ranger District he has been working on the district for 9 years 2 of which were temporary. He likes his job marking timber. The recently had a new baby, Joe Jr. His wife Michelle has not gone back to work yet, but she plans to soon. Joe like to go home in the evening and play with Joe Jr. He seems to grow an inch a day and louder each night.

Joe has had the same supervisor,Sam, for the past eight years. Sam has been with the agency for twelve years. He moved from the west in what seems like a long time ago. The supervisor has settled in and everything is going fairly well. Except last year the district was short a little on some of the targets and timber was down by about 20 percent. Sam is a little more edgy since then, but seems to be handling things fairly. Everyone is stepping up a little more in order not have a year like last year. Joe likes the challenge and is pulling his weight.

The baby has been a little colic for the past two week. Joe and Michelle has been running all night in and attempt to calm the baby and get some sleep. Joe was late to work for three times this week once for fifteen minutes and then thirty minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. Sam called Joe in his office on Thursday and discussed with him about being late three morning this week. Sam explained that the entire crew is having to wait for him in the mornings and Sam tells Joe again the need to get the timber marked for the year. Joe is agreeable and just wants to hurry the meeting up and get out of there. The supervisor although friendly on most days, just seems a bit more on the edge today. Joe is tired from already this morning from being up till two in the morning with the baby. He just wants to get on with the day and go home, Friday is his day off and Joe looks forward to it. The day goes smoothly and one unit is completed.

The next week the crew was able to complete the marking and all went well. Several months go by and the crew is moving through their accomplishments. Joe finds himself coming in late one morning. A half hour should not be a big deal he has not been late since his supervisor, Sam and he discussed the situation some months back. Nothing is said and Joe makes his day and heads home.

On Thursday the supervisor call Joe and says he would like to meet with him in the Rangers office at nine this morning. Joe thinks nothing of the call and meets with the Ranger and his supervisor, Sam. During the meeting Joe's supervisor explains that over a period of months he has been late four times and even this week he was late one time. Sam continues to explain that he has a zero tolerance for being late. The Ranger, Sally just listens and without expression hands Joe a letter. The bold type at the top of the page says "Letter of Warning". Joe is taken back he has heard of these letters going to employees but he is off guard and feels his heart sink. Many questions goes through his mind in what seems like a matter of seconds. While Joe is there the following thoughts race through his mind "What does this mean?" "Why would this happen to me?" "I am a good employee, I get my job done." Joe become defensive, he asks "What do you mean a letter of warning. The Ranger sensing the change reassures Joe that right now this is nothing and will only be kept by the his supervisor Sam. Sam assures Joe the letter will be in his desk and no will see it. Joe is still upset but calms to a point where all the emotions are not whelming up in him. Sally the Ranger continues to be reassuring and she discusses the letter with Joe. She asked him "Do you have problems at home that are keeping you from getting to work on time?" Joe feels the need to explain but holds back, only saying Joe Jr. was sick this week. The Ranger sensing the meeting should end sent Joe on his way by saying "This will be ok, you have nothing to worry about, you are a good employee." Everyone leaves the meeting. Joe goes back to his crew.

The crew asked many questions as to why Joe was in the Ranger's office. Joe holds off telling them what just happened, till later in the day. Fred, the union steward for the district happens to be on Joe's crew too. Joe talks with him in private throughout the day. Joe asked "what does this mean, am I going to lose my job? Are they going to suspend me?" Fred is patient and explains that the "Letter of Warning" is not a disciplinary action, but it could have future consequences. Joe is puzzled to him it seems disciplinary, but Fred takes the time to explain that he has the right to grieve the letter and this maybe the best course of action, but he has only twenty one days to proceed. Joe lets Fred read the letter. The letter all seems to be in order. The last paragraph has a statement about the grievance rights Joe has concerning this letter. As it seems he has some extenuating circumstances at home with Joe Jr. and Joe senior like the rest of the crew is on a maxi-flex schedule. Joe holds off, he wants to discuss with his wife Michelle when he gets home. The rest of the day passes uneventfully and Joe goes home at the end of a bad day.

Over the next week Joe and Fred talk about the letter, Joe appears to be cooling to the idea of grieving the letter when he tell Fred "I don't want piss them off more." Fred explains that there is no way to determine what the future holds, but the letter could have future consequences. Fred goes on to explain that it is his choice.

The crew continues on for several months, Joe did not raise the issue of the letter in a grievance. Everything seems to be going fine and the crew seems to be accomplishing a lot of work. Joe's family is doing well his wife, Michelle has gone back to work and Joe Jr. is in a good day care.

On Thursday this week Joe is called into the office again with the Ranger and his supervisor. Joe is concerned because on Monday he got to the office at ten minutes after eight. No one said anything that day nor Tuesday or Wednesday. "Now to the office again", Joe thinks. When he arrived at the office his supervisor Sam and the Ranger were already there talking. The Ranger invites Joe right in. The Ranger start by asking Joe a question, "Joe was you late on Monday?" Joe says "Just a few minutes I didn't think it was a big deal." Joe went on to say, "I put it on my time sheet last week." Sam jumped in and said, "Yeah we know that." Sam continues, "you know we discussed this some months back, right?" Joe says, "yes". Sam continues "and I told you of my zero tolerance of being late, right? Joe says "yeah." This meeting goes on for nearly forty five minutes and Joe becomes more and more uncomfortable. Finally the Ranger says, "One last question Joe, what do you think should happen in this situation?" Joe feeling real uncomfortable at this point says "I don't know you...." and he trails off to silence. "Well" the Ranger said "we will be in touch." Joe leaves none to soon. The rest of the day is uneventful. Joe does mention this mornings encounter to Fred. Fred's is very concerned having seen several of these situations in the past with other employees. Fred tells Joe if he gets called to another he should say "I want my Union Representative at this meeting." Joe is nervous about asking for the Union Rep, but is still confused about the meeting this morning.

Friday is Joe's day off. He talks to Michelle over the weekend of the event of the past week and his discussion with Fred the Union Rep. Michelle is concerned but not overly concerned she knows Joe does a good job and he is well liked on the district.

Monday morning comes and Joe is at work on time. Then the phone rings it is the Ranger "Joe can you come to my office?" Joe says he will be right there. Upon arrival Joe finds the Ranger and his supervisor Sam in the office talking again. Joe is invited in. The Ranger starts the conversation "Joe we have this proposal for you, take sometime to read it here and ask us any question you might have." Joe reads the header "Proposal to Suspend - Five Days" Joe finds it difficult to breathe, he can hardly read the letter, the words don't seem to sink in. Then he reads "you were given a Letter of Warning on....."

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This story goes on from here, but it happens everyday. What could Joe have done differently? When should he have done it? What can Joe do now?
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None of the people named above represent any person, but are fictional characterizations to convey a point.

In Memorial

2008-11-08T21:02:00Z

Let's Not Forget--Updated
Memorial

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to want to collective bargain...and couldn't

2008-08-23T20:48:00Z

The State of North Carolina employees have been asking for the right to bargain for years. Yet the legislators have continually denied this option the great employees of the State of North Carolina. The General Assembly in Raleigh prefers to use the Walmart model for managing it employees....if you speak up whoa be unto you. Call you Legislator and tell them to pass the Collective bargaining for the employees of North Carolina or unelect them and vote for one that will.

North Carolina is a right to work for less State.

Senator Snow, D-50th and Representative West, R-120 where are you? It is time to stand up for Western North Carolina families.

It appears the Bill was referred to the Committee on Appropriations which in affect killed the Bill.

NC House of Representatives contact information

NC Senate contact information