( September 16,
2010)
In
order to further improve the lines of communication and to respond to the
concerns between the National VA Council and you our members, I have
established a National VA Council Briefing. This NVAC Briefing will bring
you the latest news and developments within DVA and provide you with the
current status of issues this Council is currently addressing. I believe
that this NVAC Briefing will greatly enhance the way in which we communicate
and the way in which we share new information, keeping you better informed.
Alma
L. Lee
National
VA Council, President
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In
This Briefing:
The
2010 Master Agreement ~ Completed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BREAKING
NEWS..
I
am enthusiastically announcing the completion of contract negotiations that
began in January 2003. We were interrupted by two ULPs filed on us by
VA and a National Grievance that we filed on VA. We won at every
corner and sessions have run uninterrupted since June 2006. The Master
Agreement negotiations went to mediation July of 2010. We had 15 articles
that were set aside for mediation. Those articles were: 43, Local
Supplemental; 40, Arbitration; 46, Rights and Responsibilities; 19,
Telework; 42, Grievance Procedure; 23, Official Records; 20, Hours of Work;
13, Discipline and Adverse Action; 48, Use of Official Facilities; 57,
Veterans Canteen; 62, Counseling; 74, Occupational Health; 80, VBA
Technology; 81, Hybrid; and 79, Skill Certification (will be remanded to a
Mid-Term Bargaining Team to negotiate and then will be placed into the new
Master Agreement). We successfully completed all of the 15 articles in
three, week-long sessions that ended TODAY!!! Our current Master
Agreement is the best contract in the federal government and maybe the best
in the Country! I am very pleased to report that we now have an even
better contract!!!
HALLELUJAH!
After
the entire new contract has been proofed, you will be sent these articles
for ratification. I know that when you see what has been done, you
will want this put into effect as quickly as possible. After the
ratification process has been completed, the Union will notify the
Department and the Chief Negotiators will execute the agreement within 5
days of such notice. The agreement will then be referred to the
Department for Agency Head Review. After the Agency Head Review, the
agreement will be in place. Many of you have observed the negotiations
first hand, to get a sense of what we have been fighting for, I wish
you all could have done so. But, now the fight has been won!
IT’S
OVER!
I
want to thank the rest of the negotiating team: MJ Burke, Oscar L.
Williams, Jr., Bill Wetmore, David Mollett, Sandy Eggleston, Anthony
McCray, Valorie Reilly, Dave Dawkins, Pam Newlon and Dave Rodriguez (AFGE
Field Services) and Joyce Henderson and Teressa Altic, recorders. More
importantly I would like to thank you all for the support you have given us
throughout this seven year fight! While you may not have known it,
wearing red, wearing the buttons and bracelets and the post cards all played
a role in this victory!
FUTURE…
Our
work is just beginning as
far as training, implementation and enforcement. The fight continues!