MAY 11, 2005

Management walks out on Negotiations...

Yesterday and again today, the Union Negotiating team met with VA managers to discuss returning to the table for negotiations and negotiating the 5-tier Performance Management System (Performance Appraisal System) as well as the Employee Recognition and Awards.

The events and results of the meeting are:
Our initial letter to Human Resources in VA Central Office was to roll over the current contract for 3 years, official and/or duty time amounts for all AFGE/NVAC positions including locals, shall not be reduced below the current negotiated amounts and/or past practice amounts.  This provision shall last as long as the roll over of the Master Agreement.  And finally, AFGE/NVAC will negotiate the 5-tier Performance Management System as well as the Employee Recognition and Awards as soon as Management and Labor can agree upon a mutually acceptable time to meet.  VA refused to accept this idea.
 
We also offered the following:
 
1)  No change in the Ground Rules.
 
2)  No reductions in official time anywhere for now and 3-years after the signing of the new Master Agreement.
 
 3)  We would negotiate the 5-tier Performance Management System and Employee Recognition and Awards outside of the Master Agreement and this would be non-precedent setting.  Management refused this offer.

Management insisted that the Union abandon the Ground Rules for the Master Agreement, that both parties had signed.
 
We (the Union) refused to accept their offer to re-open the Ground Rules. We offered to resume Master Agreement negotiations in September and to negotiate the 5-tier Performance Management System and Employee Recognition and Award System.  VA management rejected this offer, even though they claimed this was a very high priority issue.

Management wanted us to relinquish our negotiating rights to be involved in decisions on where we meet and when to call a mediator.
They demand the right to make the decisions unilaterally.
 
Management closed the meeting by saying:
 1)  They are shutting down negotiations because they could not live with the Ground Rules that both Labor and Management agreed to and that they had to have all of our articles prior to going back to the table.  Even though the FLRA says we don't have to give them all of our articles at one time.
 
2)  They also stated that they will re-open the Master Agreement in January of 2006.

3)  They also stated they would be implementing the 5-tier Performance Management System and Employee Recognition and Awards outside of the Master Agreement.
 
However, this was the worst example of bad faith the Union Team has ever seen.  It shows that Management's claim, that it values employees and good labor relations is simply not true!
 
It is also the most detrimental act that has ever happened to the AFGE/National VA Council in the history of the Council. 
 
We will seek legal advice and take appropriate steps on this matter and we will keep you informed.
 
Bottom line, we are no longer negotiating the Master Agreement and the "Master Agreement in Still in Force!"