The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) found that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has violated statutory bargaining requirements when its Miami District Director tried – for the second time – to evict the union steward from the union office at its Tampa location.
Following an investigation, the FLRA “decided that there is merit to the bad faith bargaining allegations made in Charge No. AT-CA-23-0348,” reads a notice of disposition issued by the FLRA.
The union filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) with the FLRA in June, charging EEOC with bad faith bargaining.
“The Director is attempting to eliminate a historic past practice which identified a designated dedicated private Union office and move out the Union Steward without affording AFGE Local 3599 the opportunity to bargain over the substance of the change,” states the ULP.
The EEOC director previously tried to order the eviction of the steward from the union office two years ago. The union swiftly filed a ULP at that time, which was followed by FLRA issuing a complaint in the union's favor.
“It is sad that EEOC, which considers itself ‘the Model Employer,’ would be involved in these type of anti-worker actions,” said AFGE Local 3599 President LaTasha Nelson. “But when union rights are trampled, our local will act. Here we filed a ULP and our position has been vindicated by the FLRA.”
“It is unacceptable that this director relentlessly pursues Trump era union-busting policies by stepping on bargaining rights in pursuit of taking away a union office. This has been the union office for almost 20 years,” said Rachel Shonfield, the EEOC Miami District union steward who filed the ULP. “Apparently, the message was missed here that the Biden administration supports union rights.”
The matter will be set for a hearing before an administrative law judge on a date to be determined in Miami, Florida.