Links to related history sites: 
NFFE
National History
IAMAW History
U.S.
Department of State History
History of the Federal
Labor Relations Statute
Passport
History
(to be linked
in the
future)
Scroll down for a brief history of NFFE Local 1998 and also for a year-by-year chronology of some events in the local's history.
NFFE Local 1998 came
into official existence on October 19, 1981 when it was recognized as
the exclusive representative of Passport Services’ bargaining unit
employees by the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in Case No.
3-RO-98. NFFE Local 1998 was again certified as the exclusive Union
representative for the bargaining unit employees on April 22, 1983 (FLRA
Case No. 3-RO-20016) and on September 10, 1985 (FLRA Case No.
3-UC-50003).
During the 1980's, NFFE Local 1998 negotiated three collective
bargaining agreements (contracts) with Passport Services Management
(1983, 1985, and 1986). Management made an attempt to decertify NFFE Local 1998 as
the exclusive representative in 1989. Management’s alleged to the FLRA that because the Union had not prosecuted many grievances, invoked
arbitration, or responded to Management initiatives, it had not done its
job as a Union. Local 1998 prevailed in 1990. In 1991, the Union
negotiated another collective bargaining agreement with
Management. During the 1990's, NFFE Local 1998 filed grievances
and Unfair Labor Practice charges on health conditions, respect shown to
employees, reprimands issued to employees, promotions, evaluations,
union dues deductions, and employees' addresses.
In late 1993, the Union initiated discussions with Management to create
a Partnership, based on the Executive Order signed by President
Clinton. The parties met in 1994 and again in 1995, finalizing an
agreement.
In 1998, NFFE Local 1998 issued its first newsletter in years, and
created this website.
In 1999, the National Federation of Federal Employees voted to affiliate
with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW).
NFFE Local 1998 voted for this decision, which has greatly strengthened
the ability of the Union to represent the employees.
In 2001, the Union and Management completed their fifth collective
bargaining agreement. During the next few years, NFFE Local 1998
has negotiated via traditional bargaining and through partnership with
Management on a number of issues (e.g., work schedules, dress code, and
a new job element). The Union has also filed grievances and Unfair
Labor Practice charges on work schedules, promotions, evaluations,
performance standards, leave, official time, facilities, dignified
treatment for employees, disciplinary actions, dues deductions,
overtime, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In 2003, NFFE Local 1998 reluctantly took an unprecedented step in the
history of the local by organizing a letter-writing, email-sending, and
office-visit campaign to members of Congress around the nation over
concerns with the integrity of the passport issuance process, including
strict quotas for adjudication of passport applications. The
Congress asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate
the issue. The GAO and the OIG issued critical reports and the
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a
hearing on the issue.
In 2006, the Union and
Management commenced negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement
on January 24th. On October 19th, NFFE marked its 25-year
anniversary of the FLRA certifying the local as the exclusive
representative of Passport Services bargaining unit
employees.
| 2008 | ||||||
| February 7 |
Meeting: Rick Brown, President of the National Federation of
Federal Employees, visited Local 1998 Union members who work at the
National Passport Center. President Brown met with Union members
at lunch and also met with the Union representatives to discuss issues
affecting bargaining unit employees.
Pictured at right: Local 1998 Union Stewards Helen Bechard, Local 1998 Union Steward Sarah Cote, NFFE President Rick Brown, NFFE ADBR Bill Fenaughty, Local 1998 Senior Steward Chuck Black, and Local 1998 Union Steward Nathan Tortora. |
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| January 15 | Grievance: NFFE Local 1998 filed a Step 3 Grievance with Passport Services HQ regarding the decision to force new employees to work a 4/10 Compressed Work Schedule on the night shift at the Washington, DC Passport Agency. | |||||
| 2007 | ||||||
| December 26 | Officers: NFFE Local 1998 Election Committee members Nathan Tortora and Bernadet Smith announced the winners of the election for Union officers. Colin Walle was reelected as Union President, Mike Garofano was reelected as Vice President, Pat Caron was reelected as Recording Secretary, and Rob Arnold was reelected as Secretary-Treasurer. Carissa Guilmette, Ronda Humphries, and Robert Posey were elected as the three Trustees. The terms of office begin on January 1, 2008 and end on December 31, 2010. | |||||
| November | Training: NFFE Local 1998 VP Mike Garofano and Secretary-Treasurer Rob Arnold attended a class on arbitrations at the IAMAW's Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. |
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| October | Newsletter: The 12th edition of Local 1998 News is published. Topics covered included two arbitration hearings and the upcoming election of officers. |
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| September 30 | News: CNN reports on passport delays and policy changes in a story titled "Tougher Passport Rules." The story includes a brief interview with Local 1998 President Colin Walle (photo used with permission). |
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| September 17 | Arbitration: Arbitrator Jerome H. Ross ruled for NFFE Local 1998 in a grievance filed April 13th over a violation of Article 28 of the collective bargaining agreement. The grievance concerned a provision that allows one employee to be excused from mandatory overtime provided that another qualified employee (or employees) perform additional voluntary overtime in an amount sufficient to cover the mandatory overtime requirement for the first employee. | |||||
| September 14 |
Negotiations: Passport Services
Headquarters Management and
NFFE Local 1998 Union representatives completed a week of collective
bargaining. The parties had postponed bargaining sessions
originally scheduled for April and May due to the overwhelming
workload.
Representational training on September 14, 2007. Pictured (L to R): PPT/WN Steward Melissa Toby, NFFE Business Rep Steve Flory, PPT/TO Senior Steward Paulette Brent, Local 1998 President Colin Walle (kneeling), Chief Steward Karen Proctor-Adams, PPT/TO Steward Kamaria Blandford. |
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| August 10 | Arbitration: NFFE Local 1998 and Passport Services concluded two days of grievance arbitration hearings covering two different grievances. The arbitrator was Jerome H. Ross, who previously decided a case for the parties in 2001. The first grievance concerns the measurement of desk adjudication performance on overtime. The Union alleges that Management violated Article 18 of the collective bargaining agreement by not accounting for so-called non-productive tasks during overtime (such as logging in/out of the computer, locking/unlocking desks and cabinets, obtaining and moving work, reading email policies and instructions, and safeguarding or shredding sensitive documents and materials). The Union argued that this was not fair or reasonable, and also that Passport Services should look to the positive example set by the National Passport Center, which both performs the most overtime and the most work, but also measures employees' performance the same on overtime as on regular work days. The second grievance contests the refusal of Management to excuse employees from mandatory overtime, provided that other qualified volunteers perform addition hours in place of the employee seeking to be excused. This is a requirement of Article 28 of our collective bargaining agreement. The deadline for submitting post-hearing briefs for the second grievance is September 10th, while the deadline for the first grievance has been extended. | |||||
| July 6 |
News: A story in the Christian Science Monitor, Are new passport rules making the US safer?, written by Zoe Tillman addressed the passport backlog and also the numerical adjudication standards. |
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| June 19 | News: The Red Tape Chronicles, a featured blog/column on MNSBC.com written by reporter Bob Sullivan, had a story titled': "Worker Dearth, Citi Blamed in Passport Mess" which explored the reasons for the passport backlog and discussed the adjudication quotas. | |||||
| June 12 | ULP: NFFE Local 1998 filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge after Passport Services Management refused to honor the Union's request to negotiate over a plan to have non-governmental contractor workers accept passport applications at the Philadelphia and Boston Passport Agencies. Accepting an application involves identifying the applicant, ensuring that he/she is who he/she claims to be, recording evidence, taking fees, administering the oath, witnessing the signature, signing the application, and entering it into the computer. This has always been considered an "inherently governmental function" by both employees and Management, and this change appears to conflict with Department of State and Passport Services written policy. Because Management implemented the change without bargaining with the Union, the Union feels that Management committed an unfair labor practice (a violation of 5 U.S.C. 7116). This story was covered by the Federal Daily in the June 20, 2007 online edition. | |||||
| April 13 | Grievance: The Union filed a Grievance Between the Parties with HQ challenging HQ's refusal to allow employees to be excused from mandatory overtime if qualified employees volunteered for the work. The Union cited Article 28, Section 2 of the contract, which states "In the event an employee does not desire to work overtime, the Employer shall make an effort to accommodate the employee's request to be excused from overtime work, provided that another qualified employee, who normally performs the work, is available for the overtime." | |||||
| March 30 | Grievance: NFFE Local 1998 filed a Grievance Between the Parties challenging the system of measuring performance during overtime hours. While GS-9 and GS-11 Passport Specialists must adjudicate, on average, 156 applications every 8 hours normally, on overtime they are required to produce 180 applications. The Union believes that the measuring system is unfair because it does not provide any time for the non-productive tasks (e.g., logging in, locking up, obtaining work and supplies) that is accounted for in a normal day. The Union is also concerned that requiring already-strained workers to produce at an even faster pace will only result in more fatigued workers, more repetitive motion injuries, hurt retention efforts, and further undermine the integrity of the passport issuance process by requiring workers to spend an average of 2 minutes and 10 seconds adjudicating each application rather than the normal 2 minutes and 30 seconds (which is already viewed by employees and the Union as insufficient time - see story about petition above). Click here to read the grievance: 2007-03-30 GRIEVANCE. | |||||
| March 30 | Petition: NFFE Local 1998 sent a petition signed by 327 Passport Specialists from 16 offices around the country asking Headquarters to lower the numerical performance requirements ("quotas") "because the current numerical standards do not give us sufficient time to diligently scrutinize the applications and evidence for fraud". The petition was gathered between late January and early March. Only non-probationary employees were invited to sign (probationary employees have few rights to contest terminations, and some expressed concerns about retaliation). Of 383 non-probationary employees asked to sign the petition, 327 chose to sign their names - which is an overwhelming 85% participation rate. Virtually all of the Senior Passport Specialists (GS-11's) signed the petition. Click here to read the petition cover letter, including the wording of the petition: 2007 ADJ PETITION. | |||||
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| March 15 | Congress: Three NFFE Local 1998 Union representatives, accompanied by the National Federation of Federal Employees' Legislative Director and the head of the IAMAW's federal employees department, met with Congressional staff members to express opposition to the use of a so-called "Enhanced Border Crossing Driver's License" in place of a U.S. passport for travel to and from Canada. The Union expressed vehement opposition to the notion that citizenship could be determined based on viewing scanned images of birth certificates and other documents electronically transmitted to the Department of State. | |||||
| March 9 | Mandatory OT: Passport Services HQ instituted nationwide mandatory overtime for all employees, supervisors, and managers to deal with an unprecedented backlog brought on by the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This is the first time that mandatory overtime has been ordered on a nationwide basis. | |||||
| 2006 | ||||||
| December 22 | Grievance: Management at PPT/LA granted the Union's requested relief in a Step 1 Formal Grievance filed the day before and did not suspend the compressed work schedule for the holidays. | |||||
| December 15 | Grievance: The Union and Management amicably settled the dispute over the career ladder promotion of a GS-5 employee to GS-6. The Employee received her promotion, and that promotion was made retroactive by two pay periods, with back pay. The settlement terminated the grievance and cancelled the arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for January. | |||||
| November 22 | Grievance: Management and the Union at PPT/CPC resolved the Union's grievance filed over a change in past practice regarding the granting of administrative leave to attend the Combined Federal Campaign's Day of Caring. Almost 20 employees each had 4 to 6 hours of annual leave restored as a result of the amicable settlement. | |||||
| October 19 (through November 3) | Anniversary: NFFE Local 1998 celebrates the 25-year anniversary of the FLRA's October 19, 1981 certification of the local as the exclusive representative of Passport Services bargaining unit employees. Various offices marked the anniversary on the 19th and on other dates, up until November 3. Combined with mini-membership drives ran by NFFE Business Rep Jim Davis in September and the 25 Year Anniversary events in October and the first days of November, over 25 employees nationwide joined the Union. |
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25 Year Anniversary cake enjoyed by employees at PPT/NPC |
All members received a "NFFE-IAM" lapel pin and a "NFFE-IAM" lanyard. |
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| Photos from 25-year anniversary event at PPT/NPC, held on November 2, 2006: | ||||||
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<---NPC 1st shift employees mark the occasion |
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<---NPC 2nd shift employees enjoy pizza & soda |
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| Photos from 25-year anniversary event at PPT/SE, held on October 19, 2006: | ||||||
 Members brought fruit, chips, cookies, and more . . . |
 Union Rep Jennifer awards emergency supply kit prize to Wanthida |
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 Time to eat and drink |
 Union member Debbie wins a gift certificate |
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 Pizza, soda, cookies, and Union newsletters! |
 Newest Union recruit (Cameron) |
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| Photo from the 25-year anniversary event at PPT/WN: | ||||||
PPT/WN Steward Brykyta Shelton, Assistant to NFFE President Cassie Kerner, Local 1998 Chief Steward Karen Proctor-Adams, and NFFE Legislative Director Randy Erwin. |
All bargaining unit employees received this invitation to join the Union. |
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| October 16 | Newsletter: The 11th edition of Local 1998 News is published. Topics covered included the 25 year anniversary of NFFE Local 1998, the National Union/Management Council meeting, a grievance update, a report on where the awards money and quality step increases go, ergonomics information, adjudication quotas, and the 2006 training report. |
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| October 12 | Grievance: CPC Senior Steward James Jarmon filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance after managers changed the past practice of granting a full day of administrative leave to the participants in the CFC's Day of Caring. | |||||
| September 25 - October 5 | Negotiations: The Union and Management complete their 3rd two-week session of face-to-face bargaining over a new collective bargaining agreement ("contract" or "CBA"). The earlier two sessions were from August 14 to 25 and from April 25 to May 4. | |||||
| August |
Newsletter: NFFE Local 1998's
bargaining team is featured on page 11 of The Federal Employee,
NFFE National's newsletter. The headline of the article reads,
"Local 1998 Moves Forward in Contract
Negotiations".
The article quotes NFFE National
President Rick Brown: |
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| August 1 | Arbitration: The Union invoked arbitration in the grievance filed for a GS-5 employee seeking her career ladder promotion to GS-6. | |||||
| July 28 | Grievance: NFFE Local 1998 Secretary-Treasurer Rob Arnold filed a Step 3 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding the career ladder promotion for a GS-9 employee and the correction of the employee's 2005 appraisal for Element 2. | |||||
| July 21 | Grievance: The Union filed a Step 3 Formal Grievance with Passport Services HQ regarding the 2005 evaluation for a GS-11 employee who worked at the Boston Passport Agency after Management rejected the Union's Step 2 grievance on June 30th. | |||||
| July 21 | Mediation: Seattle Senior Steward Nathaniel Miller, Seattle Steward Jennifer Gile, and Local 1998 President Colin Walle attended an Alternate Dispute Resolution with Seattle Management regarding the career ladder promotion of a Passport Specialist. The parties were eventually able to reach an amicable settlement of the dispute. | |||||
| May 4 | Negotiations: Union and Management negotiators met for two weeks in Washington, DC to bargain over a new contract. The Union negotiators were: Chief Negotiator Steve Flory (NFFE Business Representative), Rob Arnold (Secretary-Treasurer), Karen Proctor-Adams (Chief Steward), Mike Garofano (Vice President), Keacha Medley (PPT/WN Senior Steward - present for the first week), and Colin Walle (Local President - present for the second week). The tone of the negotiations was positive and the parties made some progress. The parties will meet again for two weeks in August. |
In the photo, from left to right: Mike Garofano, Rob Arnold, Colin Walle, Karen Proctor-Adams, and Steve Flory |
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| May 3 |
Thank you: Local 1999 Vice President Mike Garofano - along with Union President Colin Walle, Secretary-Treasurer Rob Arnold, and Chief Steward Karen Proctor-Adams - presented a plaque to NFFE National President Rick Brown as a token of thanks for all of the hard work that NFFE National has done on behalf of Passport Services employees, and federal employees in general. The plaque is a bona fide New Hampshire License Plate reading "NFFE".
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In the photo, from left to right: Colin Walle, NFFE S/T John Paolino, NFFE President Rick Brown, NFFE Historian Abe Orlofsky, Mike Garofano, Karen Proctor-Adams, Rob Arnold, and NFFE Business Representative Steve Flory |
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| April 21 | Grievance: New Orleans Union Steward Debra Reese-Jolly filed a Step 3 Grievance regarding unilateral changes in desk assignments. | |||||
| March 21 | Grievance Settlement: Almost sixteen months after the event that caused the grievance, the Union and Management finally settled the dispute over the manner in which administrative leave was granted on December 23, 2004. The Union had filed the grievance on January 20, 2005, arguing that Management had retaliated against the Union and specifically for the FLSA Overtime grievance by unilaterally changing the past practice on how administrative leave was granted. As part of the settlement, Management affirmed that there was no connection between the Union's grievance and the actions that Management took prior to the Christmas 2004 holiday, and that neither the Union nor the grievance are to blame for what happened. Management committed to abiding by past practices and to only seeking changes via applicable legal authorities. Employees who served on the "skeleton crew" in Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu, and Houston on December 23, 2004 will now receive administrative leave in the same amounts as those who were granted early dismissal, in accordance with the past practice on this subject. In addition, in a gesture of goodwill that is much appreciated by the Union and the employees, Management is granting 3 hours of administrative leave to over 20 employees in Miami. | |||||
| March 20 |
Training:
An unprecedented nine Union Representatives from Local
1998 attended the weeklong Federal Employees Seminar together at the
IAMAW's Winpisinger Center in Placid Harbor, Maryland. Leah Anderson,
Rob Arnold, Mike Garofano, Eric Handy, Mirna Lopez, Elisabeth Lucchese,
Two Feathers Neal, Debra Reese-Jolly, and Colin Walle traveled from
Seattle, New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and
Portsmouth (NH) to learn about grievances, arbitration, ULP's,
prohibited personnel practices, Hatch Act rules, A-76 contracting out,
and other representational issues. In addition to the regular
coursework, the |
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| January 30 | Survey: The Union compiled some of the results of the first comprehensive survey of bargaining unit employees and informed Management that on the issue of the adjudication performance standards, the Passport Specialists spoke loudly and clearly, with the overwhelming majority agreeing with the following statement: "The numerical performance standards do NOT provide me with sufficient time to diligently adjudicate passport applications (without taking shortcuts) and carefully scrutinize the evidence/application/tools for fraud indicators.” Out of the 368 employees who indicated a firm response, 248 said they “Strongly Agreed” and 98 said they “Agreed” with that statement – an overwhelming 94% of Passport Specialists (there were 58 employees - mostly new hires - who indicated they were "Neutral", left the question blank, or wrote "N/A", and 23 employees combined who “Disagreed” or “Strongly Disagreed”). In addition, 97% of employees indicating a response said that the focus in adjudication is on quantity instead of quality, employees listed the "integrity of the passport issuance process" as their # 1 issue out of 10 options, and out of 228 written comments that were received 112 focused on the numerical adjudication standards (111 - 99% - took the time to argue that they should be lowered and that we need to focus more on quality). Almost every Passport Specialist who was present during the week of the survey participated. | |||||
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| January 13 | Grievance: Los Angeles Passport Agency Senior Steward Cathy Prince filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance on behalf of six employees who were prevented from working during an overtime period when the office was not opened. Management and the Union amicably resolved the grievance and the employees received compensation. | |||||
| 2005 | ||||||
| November 30 | Grievance: Management at the Connecticut Passport Agency amicably and swiftly responded to an Informal Grievance filed by Union Steward Wanda Murillo regarding sick leave policy during the holiday season. Management agreed to abide by the sick leave provisions in the contract and to issue a clarifying email. | |||||
| November 25 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance with HQ alleging retaliation for the previous hostile treatment grievance at the Boston Passport Agency, including a unilateral change in lunchroom policy. | |||||
| October 24 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding the failure to provide the Union with a sole-use office. The grievance was temporarily settled. | |||||
| September 8 | Grievance: The Union and Management agreed to settle the grievance regarding the use of official time at the Boston Passport Agency that was filed on April 22, 2005. | |||||
| August 15 | Newsletter: The 10th edition of Local 1998 News is published. | |||||
| August 4 | Inspector General OIG: The Union's May 2005 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to have portions of the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) November 2004 review of passport fraud efforts was partially approved, focusing on the decision to eliminate the Assistant Fraud Program Manager (AFPM) position. The released portions reveal that "DS agents working with passport fraud, CA/FPP officers, and all passport agency FPMs" were not "consulted prior to the announcement of the decision to abolish the assistant FPM position in late 2003", adding that "[a]ll of the stakeholders claimed they would have opposed this personnel policy had they been consulted". The report mentioned the fact that the "union had expressed concerns about the effect that the elimination of this position would have on detection of passport fraud". As a result of the elimination of the AFPM's, "[s]everal of the FPMs said they are now spending more time training staff, are involved in a never-ending training mode, and have less time to devote to operational work, case development, and analysis". The OIG formally recommended that the AFPM positions be reestablished. Click here to read more. | |||||
| July 28 | Grievance: Union Chief Steward Rob Arnold filed an Informal Grievance regarding the promotion of a GS-9 Passport Specialist at the Seattle Passport Agency to GS-11. | |||||
| July 1 |
Newsletter |
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| June 16 |
Grievance: Passport Services HQ granted the Union's requested relief
in the grievance filed by Senior Steward Karen Proctor-Adams against the
unfair overtime policy at the Washington (DC) Passport Agency.
Management's response stated that, "Effective immediately,
management at the Washington Passport Agency will discontinue the
practice of requiring that employees meet their daily or cumulative desk
or counter adjudication standards to work overtime". |
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| June 29 | Congress: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report titled "Improvements Needed to Strengthen U.S. Passport Fraud Detection Efforts" which criticized the Department of State's efforts to detect and prevent passport fraud. The U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing titled "Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Passport System Can Be Exploited by Criminals and Terrorists", which addressed the GAO's report on this issue. Four NFFE Local 1998 Union representatives attended the hearing along with a NFFE National official and an IAMAW official. The GAO made six recommendations: 1) consider way to improve interagency information sharing; 2) establish a centralized and up-to-date fraud prevention library; 3) consider augmenting fraud prevention staffing; 4) assess the extent to which interoffice workload transfers may hinder fraud prevention; 5) strengthen fraud prevention training; and 6) strengthen fraud prevention oversight. |
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| May |
Newsletter: Local 1998 is featured on
page 12 of NFFE's newsletter, The Federal Employee. The
title of the "Local Spotlight" read "Local 1998
Represents Members Well Despite Being Dispersed". The article highlights the victory by the Union, represented by Attorney Mike Snider, in the grievance that challenged and corrected the FLSA status of bargaining unit employees. The article noted that Local 1998 representatives from around the country worked together with Union President Colin Walle and Attorney Snider to make the grievance a success. NFFE National President Rick Brown commented that "Local 1998's success proves how much a group of dedicated individuals can accomplish by working together". |
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| May 10 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a Step 2 Formal Grievance challenging the year-end appraisal given to a GS-11 Senior Passport Specialist at the Boston Passport Agency. That employee had been rated "Outstanding" overall for many years, and had been rated "Outstanding" overall in an interim evaluation given on October 27, 2004, yet that rating was reduced to "Excellent" overall for the year-end rating. The grievance challenges the overemphasis on the quantity of the employee's work at the expense of ignoring her accomplishments in the quality aspects of the job. | |||||
| March 16 |
Newsletter: The latest edition of Local 1998 News
was distributed to
all bargaining units in each of our 17 locations. Topics included the FLSA grievance, the official time grievance, work schedules disputes,
and why employees should consider joining the Union. Click here for newsletter |
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| March 11 | Grievance: The Union filed a grievance regarding the application of the Security Awareness Element at PPT/IML. Employees who had not made any errors in this element were being incorrectly rated Fully Successful, instead of Outstanding. The grievance was successful, and as a result 19 employees had their ratings of record corrected. | |||||
| March 4 | Grievance: PPT/WN Senior Steward Karen Proctor-Adams files a grievance on behalf of a PPT/IML employee regarding her Appraisal for 2004. The grievance was successful, and the employee's rating is adjusted from Fully Successful to Excellent. | |||||
| February 11 |
Grievance: The Grievance filed
by the Union, represented by Attorney Michael Snider, on April 20, 2004
to correct the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) status of unit employees
was finally settled. This grievance has resulted in the largest
financial benefit ever achieved by Local 1998 on behalf of the employees
it represents in the 24 year history of the local (as far as can be
determined). As part of the settlement, employees were already
reclassified as Non-Exempt from the FLSA on August 28, 2004. This means
that employees will no longer be artificially capped at the GS-10, Step
1 rate of pay for overtime work, but will instead receive true
time-and-one-half their pay. Back pay with liquidated (double) damages
plus interest, along with compensation for suffered and permitted
overtime, and compensatory time earned between April 20, 2002 and August
28, 2004, was paid to employees by May 26, 2005 and totaled $306,401.09. Click here for Settlement Agreement and additional FLSA information |
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| February 10 |
Mediation: The Union and Management participated in a mediation session in order to resolve the Official Time Grievance filed on May 13, 2004. A mediator from FMCS facilitated the ADR, which was conducted pursuant to Article 21 of the Agreement. The Union and Management have amicably agreed to the settlement. |
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| February 8 | Meeting: The Union and Management held their annual partnership meeting in Washington, DC. Topics included: contract negotiations, amendments to the contract, notification to Union Reps of changes in working conditions, computer privacy, emergency supplies and plans, award delays, ergonomic issues, and rotations through details. NFFE Local 1998 was represented by NFFE National Secretary-Treasurer John Paolino as well as Local President Colin Walle, Vice President Mike Garofano, Secretary-Treasurer Carol Aguilar, Recording Secretary Paula Carter. | |||||
| January 20 | Grievance: The Union filed a Grievance Between the Parties concerning the changes from past practice, inequitable treatment, and retaliation for the FLSA grievance, that occurred with Administrative leave on December 23, 2004. Click here for Grievance | |||||
| January 3 | Officers: The NFFE Local 1998 Election Committee - Tom Grasso, Beth Pompano, and Alice Freeman - announced the results of the recent election of Union Officers. Colin Walle was elected President, Mike Garofano was elected Vice President, Carol Aguilar was elected Secretary-Treasurer, and Paula Carter was elected Recording Secretary. The three members elected to the new position of Trustee are: Rob Arnold, Bill Beardall, and Mike Darcy. The proposed revisions to the Bylaws, which were mandated by the affiliation with the IAMAW, were approved. All of the officers will serve for a three-year term that ends on December 31, 2007. | |||||
| 2004 | ||||||
| November 8 | Grievance: National Passport Center (NPC) Union Steward Beth Pompano filed a grievance regarding the use of official time. | |||||
| October | Convention: Local 1998 Vice President Michael Garofano attended the 47th NFFE National Convention in Las Vegas. President Richard Brown and Secretary/Treasurer John Paolino were both reelected. Additional business was conducted. Click here for Brother Garofano's report | |||||
| October 18 |
Training: Local 1998 webmasters Bill Beardall and Mike Garofano attend a week-long training course at the IAMAW's Winpisinger Center in Placid Harbor, Maryland. The course, IAM Advanced Website Development, is designed to assist web stewards fully develop local websites for the benefit of the membership. |
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| September 23 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed an Informal Grievance with HQ after an employee was issued a Letter of Reprimand after his name stamp went missing and he reported it to appropriate authorities. | |||||
| August 23 |
ULP:
The Federal Labor Relations Authority informed the Union that it is
going to dismiss the ULP charge filed against the
Philadelphia Passport Agency. The Union had filed the ULP on the basis
that formal, written notification of the change was not provided, but
the FLRA found that the Management had provided sufficient verbal
notification to the Union representatives in advance of the change.
The Union is considering other options to attempt to help the employees
return to their original schedules. Click here for Decision |
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| August 17 | Negotiability Appeal: The Federal Labor Relations Authority ruled on August 17th that the Union's proposals, including the proposal to "maintain the status quo", are negotiable and that Management is obligated to bargain with the Union. The Union's proposals were submitted in response to Management's plan to terminate three of eight compressed work schedule options at the Seattle Passport Agency. Click here for more on work schedules & Click here for Decision & Order | |||||
| July 13 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a grievance regarding a two-week suspension imposed on an employee. | |||||
| June 25 |
Officers: The Local 1998 Executive Board confirmed Paula Carter as the Union Vice President at the Special Issuance Agency in Washington, DC. This is a major milestone as it appears that this is the first time Local 1998 has had representation in each of the seventeen Passport agencies. |
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| May 24 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a grievance regarding a Letter of Reprimand given to an employee. | |||||
| May 20 |
ULP: Local 1998 ffiles an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) against Management for changing the arrival times of fifteen current bargaining unit employees at the Philadelphia Passport Agency in January of this year. ULP Charge |
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| May 13 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a grievance regarding the use of official time at the National Passport Center (NPC) and the Seattle Passport Agency, and procedures for obtaining official time at other offices, including the New York Passport Agency, the New Orleans Passport Agency, the Houston Passport Agency, and the National Passport Center. | |||||
| May |
Congress: The General Accounting Office (GAO) is asked by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee to investigate the concerns about the passport integrity process raised by NFFE Local 1998. The GAO begins by interviewing Management officials at Passport Services Headquarters and at the Washington, DC, Passport Agency. Subsequently the GAO visits the Seattle Passport Agency and the Los Angeles Passport Agency. |
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| April 29 | Officers: Colin Walle is confirmed as Union President when all other nominees decline to run. Carol Aguilar continues as Union Secretary-Treasurer. | |||||
| April 26 | Grievance: Union President Colin Walle filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance at the Office of Information Management and Liaison in Washington, DC regarding a Letter of Counseling given to an employee. | |||||
| April 21 | Grievance: Los Angeles Passport Agency Senior Steward Cathy Prince files a Step 1 Formal Grievance regarding the promotion of a Passport Specialist from GS-7 to GS-9. | |||||
| April 20 |
Grievance:
Local 1998 files a grievance over the misclassification of
over 300 bargaining unit
employees as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act. Among other
things, this means that these employees were not paid true
time-and-one-half for overtime work. |
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| April 8 |
Grievance:
Local 1998 files a grievance over the elimination of the Assistant
Fraud Program Manager and Assistant Customer Service Manager
positions in response to Management's refusal to bargain with the
Union over this issue. Grievance |
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| April 8 |
Grievance: Los Angeles Passport Agency Steward Leah Anderson filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance regarding the promotion of a Passport Specialist from GS-9 to GS-11. |
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| March | Newsletter: Local 1998's Passport Integrity Concern is featured on page 6 of NFFE's newsletter, The Federal Employee. |  |
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| Jan 30 | Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance arguing that the 2004 nationwide Adjudication Performance Standards are not fair or reasonable, are inconsistent with the duties listed in the position description, and do not contribute to maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the passport issuance process. Grievance | |||||
| Jan 27 | ULP: Local 1998 files two Unfair Labor Practice charges against Passport Services for implementing adjudication performance standards changes without negotiating with the Union, and for failing for provide requested information. | |||||
| 2003 | ||||||
| Dec 12 | Grievance: The Union files a grievance at the Chicago Passport Agency concerning AWOL incorrectly charged to bargaining unit employees. The grievance is satisfactorily resolved. Grievance | |||||
| Dec 2 | Congress: Local 1998 takes the unprecedented step of contacting Congress for help with the employees’ concerns over the integrity of the passport issuance process. For an extensive chronology of the Union’s efforts on this issue, go to Integrity of U.S. Passport - Chronology. | |||||
| Dec 1-2 |
Meeting: Karen Proctor-Adams, Mike Garofano, Carole Lopez,
and Colin Walle participate in the annual meeting with Management
in Washington, DC. |
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| Nov 19 | Officers: Colin Walle becomes the interim Union President when Alex Allen steps down after being selected for a supervisory position. Carol Aguilar becomes the interim Secretary-Treasurer. | |||||
| Oct 24 | Negotiations: Local 1998 makes 62 proposals in response to Management's plan to institute nationwide Adjudication Performance Standards in 2004. Most of these proposals are rejected or ignored. Union Proposals | |||||
| Oct 23 | Grievance: The Union filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding a 5 day suspension imposed on an employee. | |||||
| Oct 10 | Grievance: Union President Alex Allen filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding the sick leave issues and a leave of absence for an employee at the New Orleans Passport Agency. | |||||
| Sep 16 | Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance in response to the denial of official time to conduct a study of the proposed performance standards. Grievance | |||||
| Aug 6 | Meeting: Passport Services Management meets with Local 1998 representatives Alex Allen, Colin Walle, Carole Lopez, and Karen Proctor-Adams to explain the proposed 2004 Adjudication Performance Standards. Meeting Minutes | |||||
| Jul 25 | Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance over unilateral change in work schedules at the Seattle Passport Agency. This grievance affects bargaining unit employees in all offices. Grievance | |||||
| Jul 23 | Negotiability Appeal: The Union files a Negotiability Appeal with the Federal Labor Relations Authority after Management at the Seattle Passport Agency declares the Union’s proposals relating to Alternate Work Schedules to be non-negotiable. | |||||
| 2002 | ||||||
| Dec 20 | Grievance: The Union files a grievance over the delay in the promotion of a GS-9 employee to the GS-11 grade at the National Passport Center. The employee was subsequently promoted retroactive to the requested dated. Grievance | |||||
| Dec 17 |
Grievance: Local 1998 submits a formal grievance on behalf of an employee whose promotion from GS-9 to GS-11 was improperly delayed. The grievance is resolved after Management agrees to promote the employee retroactively to the correct date. |
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| Dec 10 |
Grievance: Local 1998 submits an informal grievance via email over the failure to increase the dues deductions to the proper amount. The matter is concluded after Management pays the Union the $821.34 owed. |
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| Dec 3-4 |
Meeting: National UMC Meeting
attended by Alex Allen, Donna Ward, Mike Garofano, and Colin Walle. Minutes from UMC Meeting |
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| Jul 25 | Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance over the improper termination of Union dues. Management agrees to settle the case and pay the Union the $70.62 owed. | |||||
| Jun 25 | Grievance: Boston Passport Agency Union Vice President Dan Egan files a Step 1 Formal Grievance regarding the use of a bulletin board for the union as required by the contract. | |||||
| Jun 11 |
Grievance: Union President Alex Allen filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance regarding a 5 day suspension imposed on an employee. |
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| Jun 1 | Officers: Alex Allen is elected President, and Colin Walle is re-elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 1998. | |||||
| Apr 30 | Grievance: Chicago Passport Agency Union Vice President Eva Brumfield submitted an Informal Grievance regarding the narrative statement in an employee's 2001 annual appraisal. | |||||
| Apr 23 | Negotiations: Union President Bill Beardall requested negotiations over the proposed new nationwide Adjudication Performance Standards. This request is rejected. Request for Negotiations | |||||
| Jan 28 | Grievance: The Union filed a grievance over the delay in the promotion of a GS-7 employee to the GS-9 grade at the New Orleans Passport Agency. The employee was subsequently promoted retroactive to the correct date. Grievance | |||||
| 2001 | ||||||
| Nov 9 | Grievance: The Union files a grievance over the denial of a promotion from GS-4 to GS-5 for an employee at the Information Management and Liaison (IML) in Washington, DC. The employee was subsequently promoted. Grievance | |||||
| Oct 9 |
Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance over violations of the Compressed Work Schedule (CWS) plan being drafted for the Houston Passport Agency. The plan is corrected as a result, and employees are allowed to participate in CWS. |
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| Sep 25 | Meeting: National UMC Meeting attended by Bill Beardall, Vanessa Fields, Mike Garofano, and Colin Walle. Minutes from UMC Meeting |
 |
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| Aug |
Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes two editions of Local 1998 News – Volume 1, Issue 6 and Issue 7. |
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| Jul 3 |
Contract: The current collective
bargaining agreement goes into effect:
Agreement Between Passport Services and the
National Federation of Federal Employees—Local 1998. This is
the fourth collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the
parties, and the first since September 23, 1991.
The Union negotiating
team was made up of NFFE
Chief Negotiator Robbie
Exley, Local 1998 President Bill Beardall, Barbara Kennedy, and
Colin Walle. Signature Page |
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| Jun 22 | Arbitration: An arbitration hearing is conducted in the case of an employee at the National Passport Center whose promotion from GS-9 to GS-11 was improperly delayed. Unfortunately, the Union does not prevail in this case. | |||||
| Jun 13 | ULP: Local 1998 files an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Passport Services for failing to properly deduce Union dues for 12 employees. The ULP is settled after Management agrees to transmit the biweekly listing of dues-paying members to the Union. | |||||
| May 24 | ULP: Union President Bill Beardall filed an Unfair Labor Practice after Management at the New Orleans Passport Agency unilaterally terminated a telecommuting program. | |||||
| May | Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes Local 1998 News, Volume 1, Issue 5. | |||||
| Jan-Oct |
Negotiations: Local 1998 negotiates with Management over the impact and implementation of a new Security Awareness Element for Passport Services' employees. |
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| 2000 | ||||||
| Nov 9 |
Grievance: Union President Bill Beardall
filed a Step 3 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding a Letter of
Warning issued to an employee at the Boston Passport Agency.
|
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| Nov 2 | Grievance: Union President Bill Beardall filed a Step 3 Formal Grievance with HQ regarding sick leave and an office renovation at the Boston Passport Agency. | |||||
| Aug 30 | ULP: The Union and Management settled an Unfair Labor Practice filed against the National Passport Center regarding an employee’s annual appraisal for 1999. Management agreed to correct that employee’s rating from “Fully Successful” to “Excellent” and to sign a posting. | |||||
| Aug 21 | Convention: Four delegates from Local 1998 attend the NFFE National Convention. | |||||
| Jul | Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes Local 1998 News, Volume 1, Issue 4. | |||||
| Jan 24 | Meeting: Bill Beardall and Colin Walle participate in the annual meeting with Management in Washington, DC. | |||||
| Jun 1 | Officers: Bill Beardall and Colin Walle are re-elected as President and Secretary-Treasurer, respectively, of Local 1998. | |||||
|
Jan 2000 - Jul 2001 |
Negotiations: Passport Services and NFFE Local 1998 negotiate a new CBA. The parties meet for four sessions in Washington, DC, totaling seven weeks of face-to-face negotiations. The parties also engage in numerous email and telephone bargaining sessions. | |||||
| 1999 | ||||||
| Nov 22 |
Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance over the delay in promotion for two Passport Specialists in Seattle from GS-9 to GS-11. The recommendations for promotion were submitted on September 10, 1999 and the promotions were effective on October 24, 1999. The Step 1 and Step 2 replies from Management note that there is no requirement for an effective date for career ladder promotions in the contract. The grievance is resolved on January 6, 2000 after Passport Services Management agrees to make the promotions retroactive to October 10, 1999. |
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| Nov | Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes Local 1998 News, Volume 1, Issue 3. | |||||
| Jul 9 | Affiliation: NFFE National affiliates with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, thus making NFFE part of the AFL-CIO as well: Affiliation Agreement. | |||||
| Jun 10 |
ULP: Local 1998 files an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Passport Services for failing to properly deduct Union dues for 10 employees. The ULP is settled after Management pays the Union the $842.42 that was owed. |
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| May | Training: Union and management representatives from all Passport Services offices participate in joint partnership training conducted by the FMCS at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Rosslyn, Virginia. Additional training was held for union representatives at NFFE headquarters in Washington, D.C. | |||||
| Apr | Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes Local 1998 News, Volume 1, Issue 2. | |||||
| 1998 | ||||||
| Nov 2-3 |
Meeting: Bill Beardall and Colin Walle participate in the annual meeting with Management in Washington, DC. |
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| Oct | Newsletter: Local 1998 publishes Local 1998 News, Volume 1, Issue 1 – its first newsletter since March 1990. | |||||
| Jun 1 | Grievance: Union President Bill Beardall filed a Step 1 Formal Grievance regarding the interim evaluation given to an employee at the Los Angeles Passport Agency. | |||||
| May 28 | Officers: Bill Beardall is elected President, and Colin Walle is elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 1998. | |||||
|
Grievance: Local 1998 files a grievance over the wording of an interim performance review and the treatment of the employee being reviewed. |
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| 1997 | ||||||
| 1996 | ||||||
