7/17/2006 HUD REFUSES TO SET A DATE!
Today NFFE 1450 filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) with the Fair Labor Relations Authority (www.flra.gov) against HUD Region IX management for failing to negotiate in good faith and for failure to comply with the LMA.
LMA Section 10.11(A) states that the parties will request that a mutually chosen arbitrator hear an arbitration case within 30 days of referral to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS --- http://www.fmcs.gov).
NFFE 1450 submitted the name of the mutually selected arbitrator and back-up on June 16th, 2006. The arbitrator was available to meet on July 13th but management declined that date and to date has not provided NFFE 1450 with their available dates for participation in the hearing.
Given our prior experience with the Region IX management representative on this case, we believe that the Agency is stonewalling by ignoring the LMA provision therefore denying a HUD bargaining employee their right to their arbitration hearing within 30 days of referral to the FMCS. This is a tactic designed to not allow bargaining unit employees to expeditiously have disciplinary actions against them reversed.
