On Election Day, the Trump Administration's Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) issued a stunning decision that all members of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ/IFPTE Judicial Council 2) would lose their collective bargaining rights because they are supposedly managers. In what was described by FLRA member Ernie DuBester, who dissented from the misguided ruling, called the ruling of his two FLRA colleagues, "the antithesis of reasoned decision-making."
Read MoreThe Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) said the Fall 2020 Ontario Budget fails to deliver urgent assistance for Ontarians and their families. The legacy of this budget will be its failure to prioritize the needs of the people of Ontario – robust public service investment, safety, and immediate income supports needed to get through this second wave of COVID-19
Read MoreIFPTE has joined in coalition with FWA unions in urging lawmakers to block implementation of Executive Order 13957. The FWA urged a defund of the order, warning lawmakers that it is intended to “eviscerate the federal government’s merit system principals, open the door to the politicization of the federal workforce, strip hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their due process rights, and give agencies carte blanche to dismantle collective bargaining units.”
Read MoreIn response to last week's executive order "obliterating vast portions of the merit-based selection process for executive branch employees,” NAIJ/Judicial Council 2 released the following press release.
Read MorePresident Trump issued an executive order that will allow political appointees to be embedded into the career federal civil service, open the door for the dismantling of collective bargaining units, and render workers, including IFPTE represented Administrative Law Judges, as at-will employees.
Read MoreThe Pallister Government dropped a bill (Bill 16) to gut Manitoba’s Labour Relations Act. Among the most egregious provisions of the bill are the elimination of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process, mandating costly and onerous financial reporting requirements upon unions, and liberalizing the union decertification process.
Read MoreIn a series of emails sent this week from IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Matt Biggs updating Locals on a potential federal government shutdown, he shared that “we are just eight days away from the end of Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20), and none of the twelve annual spending measures has been approved by Congress… absent passage of a continuing resolution by the end of the month, the government will shut down.”
Read MoreIFPTE responded this week to a September 4th OMB memorandum to federal government agencies calling diversity and inclusion training “divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions,” along with a directive that agencies “cease and desist,” from funding the training.
Read MoreFollowing IFPTE's letter last week urging Congress to block implementation of the Trump Administration's fiscally irresponsible payroll tax deferral policy, Senators Van Hollen and Collins led an effort this week in the Senate urging OPM and OMB to allow federal workers to opt out of the deferral.
Read MoreHouse Government Reform Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly ramped up oversight of agencies across the federal government this week by releasing his 'IG response tracker'.
Read MoreWhile urging Congress to approve legislation to block implementation of the payroll tax deferral, IFPTE warns that the presidential directive, “will needlessly leave federal workers with a significant tax debt that will have to be re-paid next year,” and, “could be a dangerous step toward the slippery slope of dismantling Social Security altogether.”
Read MoreAs House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders work to reconcile the final Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, IFPTE weighs-in with key lawmakers on several issues impacting IFPTE’s membership.
Read MoreIn a decision and order upholding the union rights of Immigration Judges, the FLRA rejected DOJ's claim that NAIJ members are managers and create or modify immigration policy.
Read MoreThe SSA moved to implement the FLRA’s union busting policy dealing with the collection of union dues, while concurrently attempting to illegally and unilaterally impose a partial a collective bargaining agreement onto the Association of Administrative Law Judges (AALJ), IFPTE Judicial Council 1.
Read MoreSenators Chris Van Hollen and Lisa Murkowski led a bipartisan sign-on letter to Leaders McConnell and Schumer urging them to “include requirements to ensure maximum telework for federal employees and contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Read MoreDuring last week’s House consideration of the FY21 NDAA, lawmakers approved an amendment authored by New Hampshire Congresswoman Ann Kuster to prevent the shuttering of a child care facility that is critically important to workers, including IFPTE members.
Read MoreIFPTE notified key Senators that TVA notified another 38 workers that they will be losing their jobs to IT offshoring firms.
Read MoreAs the House is set to consider the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, IFPTE penned a letter to House members applauding many of the pro-worker provisions in the bill.
Read MoreAs the House Rules Committee gets set to consider amendments to HR 6395, the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, IFPTE sent a letter to committee members flagging several amendments of importance to IFPTE’s members.
Read MoreIn a statement decrying the possible furloughs at the US Customs and Immigration Service, NAIJ noted that “preventing [USCIS] from pursuing its mission by furloughs of its workforce is short-sighted and misguided. It harms U.S. citizens who seek to be united with family members, harms U.S. businesses--large and small--in need of workers to fill jobs Americans do not choose to fill, and harms those seeking refuge from persecution abroad.”
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