PASS-represented employees:
Late last month, PASS National President Dave Spero sent a message outlining what we knew at the time about the FAA’s increased in-person presence and the status of telework. Agency messaging, however, continues to be confusing, and I want to provide up-to-the minute clarity as the FAA prepares to institute its effort at increasing in-person presence, effective January 28, 2024.
PASS telework messaging and grievance templates
At this time, we don’t expect management to make any adjustments to individual telework agreements and Article 51 of our collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is still the guiding principle for PASS bargaining unit employees. Please reach out to your assigned PASS representative if you feel your telework agreement was amended, terminated or denied. And to assist you, all of PASS’s telework messaging as well as telework grievance templates are available on the new PASS app. Download it today and register using a personal email address, not FAA.gov.
PASS Region IV continues to actively discuss the in-person policy and reentry process with senior leadership throughout the Aviation Safety organization to ascertain information to understand what messaging and actions, if any, management will take to implement new guidance that will impact our employees. We repeatedly reiterate our position that the current CBA is still the agreed upon process and criteria to follow and that viewed through the lens of accomplishing the mission, nothing needs to change to comply with the Biden Administration’s expectations. Understandably, we are also using these conversations to inform us in our CBA negotiations involving the PASS legal and AVS bargaining teams. We have no common understanding on what constitutes an “average” or how and when those determinations will be calculated but the union believes our CBAs govern what a telework agreement looks like, which includes the number of days an employee is teleworking.
The Future of In-Person intranet’s FAQ page indicates that “in-person” includes, but is not limited to, an FAA facility, customer site, TDY location, or training facility where an employee is performing their official duties and responsibilities in-person.
Telework remains an employee-driven decision, requested through and approved by management. Management cannot force you to telework. If you are seeking continued telework you must have a valid telework agreement approved by your manager to do so. If you have already submitted and received approval for a telework agreement, don’t do anything at this time.
Under the current CBA (which is in full force and effect while bargaining on a successor agreement continues), employees who do wish to telework should request those arrangements and the agency should respond to any such requests in accordance with Article 51 of the CBA. Those requests are normally made through CASTLE. Managers must respond to an employee’s telework agreement request in writing no more than seven (7) work days after receipt of the request. An employee whose telework agreement request has been denied at the first-level may request reconsideration from the second level manager. The second-level manager shall respond to the employee’s appeal for reconsideration in writing within seven (7) work days after receipt of the appeal request and shall include reasons for the decision. Article 51 and the current HRPM WLB-12.3 still allow for the available telework options: full time, routine, situational, conditional or none.
We continue to expect that if a management team is conducting all-hands meetings to discuss these topics with your work unit, PASS will be invited. If you wish to have a PASS rep participate in your individual conversation with your frontline manager you have that right. Let your rep know you would like them there and advise your frontline manager.
We commit to providing additional information as we receive it and if any formal agreements are reached, that will also be communicated and disseminated to the employees we represent.
If there is something we haven’t addressed here, please email the team.
Be safe; stay well!
Ben and the Region IV team
www.passnational.org
Download the PASS app
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