Union representatives seek more input in workplace issues

Federal managers should seek employee input before major decisions are made, not after solutions are developed, according to a memo from Obama administration officials.

In a meeting on Wednesday with federal management and labor representatives, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director for Management Jeff Zients reminded agency leaders to improve dialogue with employees by involving them before making final decisions. Managers should engage unions early in decision-making processes, as outlined in President Obama's December 2009 executive order, said the memo.

Executive Order 13522 creates labor-management partnerships governmentwide and on the agency level. The order also requires the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations to launch pilot programs that will test bargaining over issues not normally negotiable by law in a small group of agencies and directs management to include pre-decisional involvement "in all workplace matters to the fullest extent practicable."

Union leaders in October 2010 told the council that managers are not doing enough to engage employees or their union representatives ahead of time in decisions that affect their daily work and suggested Berry remind agency labor-management forums of the pre-decisional involvement language in the executive order.

In the memo, Berry and Zients encouraged agencies to start the pre-decisional process as soon as possible when addressing workplace issues, noting the discussions should be conducted confidentially to promote trust between parties. Agencies are not required to act on ideas considered in pre-decisional talks, but they are a valuable source of employee input, they noted in the memo.

For example, employee feedback can be incorporated into the annual budget process. Management could seek input on high-level goals and strategies as proposed funding levels are determined. Employees also could share ideas to help agencies determine how to implement the president's proposals and how to spend money to meet mission goals, Berry and Zients wrote.

"Ultimately, the goal is to allow employees, through their elected labor representatives, to have meaningful input, which results in better quality decision-making, more support for decisions, and timelier implementation," the memo stated.

At its Wednesday meeting, the council also discussed deadlines for reporting progress on developing agency forums and launching (b)(1) bargaining pilots, which cover issues not normally negotiable under federal statute, such as numbers, types and grades of employees or positions assigned to any organizational subdivision, work project or tour of duty; and the technology, methods or means of performing work. Agencies were required to identify goals and metrics by Dec. 31, 2010, and will submit formal progress reports to the council before March 31.