A: Coming together with your colleagues to form a union is about securing a voice at work and a fair seat at the table with your employer. A union brings together the collective strength of you and your co-workers to address workplace conditions. Some examples of benefits of unionizing:

• Protection of workplace rights and benefits in a collective bargaining agreement, such as health & fitness leave, flexible working schedules, RIF procedures

• Support in filing of grievances or legal challenges on your behalf

• Strength, time, and ability to lobby congress to keep and improve your rights as a federal worker

A: A bargaining unit employee is an employee who is part of a group of workers recognized by the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) as eligible to be represented by a labor union for collective bargaining purposes. We are working to unionize the professional workforce at NWP. The non-professional workforce at NWP is already unionized. See § 7103 (a) (15) for a definition of what is considered a professional employee. This definition leaves some room for interpretation. Hard requirements are not identified but there are general rules of thumb:

• Professionals: STEM fields requiring a degree

• Non-Professionals: Positions with analyst, technician, or specialist in the title

A: To see if you are eligible, check box 37 of your SF-50. Workers with “7777” in that box are eligible. If you see a different code, you may already be represented by a union.

• AR3145 indicates you are represented by the non-professionals union - NFFE Local 7

• “8888” indicates you are in a position that is not eligible for union representation such as a Supervisor, HR, Office of Counsel, Administrative Officers, temporary positions, etc.

A:  Miscoding can and does happen. If you believe you have been miscoded in any way, send us an email for guidance. For example - if you are a non-supervisory team lead, but are coded as 8888, you may be miscoded.

A: No, all workers in the bargaining unit would be covered by the collective bargaining agreement, regardless of if they are a dues paying member or not. However, in this world, money is power. Being a dues paying member provides funds to our local to pay for things such as grievance support, legal council, etc.

A: Most unions don't start collecting dues until after an election passes. If you decide that you want to join the union after the election passes, we anticipate the dues to be $13-$15 per pay period. Approximately $5 per pay period covers per-cap dues that the local contributes to IFPTE (at the Federation level) and the AFL-CIO (at the state level). The rest of the dues fund training for members who serve as negotiators (to bargain the contract) and stewards (to defend/uphold the contract), savings for the local’s arbitration fund (to uphold the contract), travel funds for legislative advocacy and other meetings, a legal retainer with attorneys who specialize in Federal-sector labor law, and miscellaneous expenses (Zoom account, food, printing, etc.). The union makes decisions on expenditures democratically.

A: A collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract between a union and an employer that outlines the terms and conditions of employment for a group of employees A federal employee collective bargaining agreement is determined through a negotiation process between a federal agency and a union representing its employees, where both parties must bargain in good faith to reach an agreement on terms and conditions of employment, governed by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS) which outlines the topics that can be negotiated and the procedures involved; if they cannot reach an agreement, they may need to utilize mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes.