Rules & Regulations

Executive Director Grundmann:

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, District Council 20, represents nearly ten thousand federal employees in the Washington D.C. area. Thousands of those employees work for the Library ofCongress and the Office ofthe Architect ofthe Capitol. They work tirelessly, and often thanklessly and in the background, to curate our cultural and governmental institutions. And for decades, our local unions in the Legislative Branch have dedicated themselves to improving the working conditions ofthose employees. Our advocacy on issues like flexible work schedules, credit hours, telework, and family-friendly leave options have redefined the norms for bargaining unit members and nonmembers alike, and we are proud ofthe active role we take in creating and sustaining safe, progressive, and efficient workplaces.

Since the adoption ofthe Congressional Accountability Act and the ability of our employees to avail themselves ofthe ADR and EEO complaint procedures afforded therein, our union has made good use ofthe now-OCWR. For that reason, we want to comment on two aspects ofthe proposed revisions to the OCWR’s procedural rules: 1) the removal ofthe mandatory mediation period in §4.07; and 2) the recordkeeping ofsettlement payments in §9.04.

Section 4.07

Decades of experience has taught our union that the mediation period prescribed in the original regulations effectively allows both parties to resolve a claim at the lowest level, a process that is embraced throughout labor frameworks. We have been able to resolve a significant number of disputes at this level to the satisfaction of both sides, thereby saving time, money, and valuable resources. At the same time, we embrace the trend toward permitting claimants to seek recourse without the burden of “cooling off’ periods or excessive delays. And allowing them to proceed more quickly to the venue of their choice honors that trend. Nevertheless, we think there would be a great benefit to all parties if mediation as the first step could be invoked by the claimant if they so desired.