AFGE Local 2782 January 2025 Meeting Highlights

AFGE Local 2782 members,

Please see below for a brief recap of what we shared during our January 2025 membership meeting and answers to some of your submitted questions.

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) UPDATE

• Our CBA as of Dec 19, 2024, the majority of CBA was agreed to and signed.
• This contract is for TEN YEARS
• Can an administration void parts of the CBA?
  • Executive order (EO) does NOT supercede a contract

FAQs

• EMPLOYEE RIGHTS + UNION MEMBERSHIP
  • What should we do if contacted by someone and questioned on political activity in our personal time on social media?
    • If you are asked to take any meeting, know your rights. Call us so you have a union representative. You do not have to answer any questions or make any statements by yourself.
    • Familiarize yourself with the Hatch Act, which restricts certain political activities of federal employees. You cannot undertake any partisan political activity. This means in many cases, you cannot be asked your past or current political background or activity. Check out this helpful brochure regarding the Hatch Act and Federal Employees or these FAQs to understand what you can and cannot do while working.
    • Review AFGE’s 10 Best Practices for Whistleblowing, which you can do if you want to report a violation.

• • How do we contact the union rep like for Weingarten rights at Suitland and when teleworking?
    • We have contact info at the bottom of our About Us page. Contact any of the Union officers or stewards as soon as an issue arises (or as soon as you think one might.) We can help you as long as you reach out to us.
    • As a bargaining unit member, you have a right to representation by a union official. If anyone requests to talk to you or ask you questions, you can request to do so with one of your union stewards present. It is hard for us to protect you if you do not let us help, so be sure to consider representation in the event you are contacted about any of this. 
      • Weingarten Rights: “If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I request that my AFGE steward or union officer be present at the meeting. without representation, I choose not to answer any questions. (…this is my protected right under the 1975 Supreme Court Decision NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc).”
        • If you are ever called into a meeting with any management representative and if you have any reason whatsoever to believe disciplinary action may result, before answering any questions read them your Weingarten Rights

• • What kind of steps can members take to turn more eligible workers into dues paying members?
    • If you have a colleague who wants to learn more, encourage them to reach out to an officer or to check out our website. If they are nervous about joining, we are always open to having off line conversations where it is a safe space for them to ask any and all questions about what it means to be a member and what to consider when joining.
    • Remember, our members help support the work we do through the good and the bad. We cannot fight for the rights (telework, remote work, maxiflex just to name a few) of Census employees without the support of our dues-paying members. Joining means you are securing the chance for us to speak on your behalf and for your voice to actually be heard. 

TELEWORK

• • What if an EO requiring all Federal Employees to return to the office is signed on Monday (01/20)?
    • EOs do not override our CBA or agreement
      • EO could try to order the Agency to bypass the agreement
      • Wait for guidance before you do anything
      • Employees will need to follow the order
      • The Union WILL file a lawsuit for all the bargaining unit employees (BUE) to make the Agency follow the CBA

• • TELEWORK: are we OK?
    • June 19, 2024, the Telework agreement was codified in the new CBA for 10 years. If the Agency wants to change that, then they have to follow Article 2 of the agreement.
    • Employees may request to telework up to 8 days, schedule dependent, per pay period; employees must physically report to the official duty station a minimum of 2 days per pay period. Supervisors should apply equitable, function-based criteria to determine the number of days an employee may telework, not managerial preference per se. The 2-day requirement to physically report to the office can occur on any day(s) of the pay period; the reporting days can change based on the employee’s schedule and work requirements. Telework and onsite workdays are coordinated in accordance with work requirements.
    • Remote work Reasonable Accommodation  will go unchanged due to American Disability Act.

• • If there are lawsuits how long could the process take? What do we do in the meantime?
    • It all depends on the nature of the lawsuit, you should follow the guidance that is established for you.
    • If there are EOs, make sure you wait for guidance to act. You should work business as usual until guidance states otherwise.