AFGE, FEMA Reach 1st National Master Agreement
October 27, 2015
Categories:
DHS
Good news for 2,900 FEMA employees nationwide. AFGE and FEMA have just reached a tentative agreement on a first national master agreement that will greatly improve their working conditions.
This agreement is a result of months of hard work by the bargaining team, which had reviewed all nine regional agreements in order to include the best language from each regional agreement into the national one. The bargaining team also reviewed other AFGE council agreements, many of which were developed through many years and even decades of negotiation.
FEMA’s mission is to save lives. It’s important that employees are given all the tools and support they need to do the work.
The three-year agreement is being reviewed by the bargaining team and will be distributed via email to all AFGE members in the bargaining unit. It has extensive language addressing labor-management cooperation and comprehensive employee rights protections.
Here are a few specific examples of employee and union rights outlined in the contract.
- The right of the employees to refuse unlawful orders.
- The right to be compensated in a timely manner.
- The right to religious and disability accommodations in accordance with law and reasonable accommodation procedures.
The next step is contract ratification by members. The council is asking locals to hold meetings with their membership to let them know of the new national agreement and the improvements in it. AFGE Field Services Director Dave Cann is available to attend member meetings if needed.
