*** Federal unions may be waiting a while for President Joe Biden's reversal of Trump-era union policy to materialize in their bargaining agreements.
Biden's executive order issued last week instructed agencies to reverse actions taken related to the 2018 orders "as soon as practicable." Officials at the American Federation of Government Employees said on a Jan. 16 call with reporters that they've voiced their readiness to returning to the bargaining table or revert to contract terms that existed before Trump implemented new policies in 2018, or work on supplemental agreements.
But AFGE officials haven't heard much from agencies so far, they said at a press call on Tuesday. It may take guidance from the Office of Personnel Management to prompt agencies to return to the table, said David Cann, AFGE Field Services and Education Director. Most AFGE contracts have been affected by the Trump executive orders, and all remain in place now, Cann said.
"I actually initiated conversation with the head of my agency at the [Department of Veterans Affairs] but currently it appears that there's still no negotiations going to happen until they're moved to do so. What that movement would look like I really don’t know," said Linda Ward-Smith, president of AFGE Local 1224 in Las Vegas. "Right now, there is no bargaining going on at my agency."
*** The General Services Agency named Amy Haseltine as acting director of the Office of Enterprise Technology Solutions at the General Services Administration. She's moving over from her role as director of the NewPay payroll shared services office at GSA.
*** Ashley Tabaddor, head of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), was picked by the Biden administration to serve as chief counsel for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Amiena Khan is taking over as the NAIJ president. The union was one of several targeted for elimination by the Trump administration.