USAID and AFGE Local 1534 representing federal employees at the agency recently signed a charter establishing USAID’s Labor Management Forum to foster labor-management collaboration.
The forum was created in accordance with President Biden’s March 6 executive order directing agencies to establish a labor-management forum to discuss common interests and maintain effective labor-management cooperation.
USAID’s goals are to establish a culture of collaboration, promote open communication, explore ways to manage conflict, improve the agency’s productivity and effectiveness, and improve working conditions. The agency is committed to pre-decisional involvement as the forum will be the place where they discuss implementation of regulations, conditions of employment, contract, investigations, reports, among other things.
Local 1534, which represents bargaining unit employees at three agencies, including nearly 900 at USAID, applauds the agency for establishing the forum.
“President Biden wants to see the agency and the union work together. By doing this we can come together as one and make sure we can improve efficiency in USAID and employees’ working conditions,” said Local 1534 First Vice President Sylvia Joyner. “We want to let the agency know that we are a resource to the agency.”
Joyner added that the forum will allow both parties to discuss and resolve issues affecting employees in the workplace, which currently are the employee evaluation program, telework, mental health awareness, as well as a high number of negative Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey responses.
According to the charter, the forum will be held at least quarterly and at times mutually agreed to by the parties.
President Donald J. Trump spent his first day in office issuing a slew of executive orders directly targeting federal workers.
Read More
AFGE, Public Citizen, and State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF) filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for violating a law requiring that an advisory committee such as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) be fairly balanced in its membership and points of view.
Read More
A new bill has been introduced in the House and Senate to give federal employees a 4.3% raise next year as a way to close the pay gap between the federal and private sectors.
Read More
