On January 29 and February 7, the NVAC Legal Team filed two National Grievances concerning the OPM Deferred Resignation Program. NVAC filed these National Grievances to challenge the multiple, repeated violations of our Master Agreement and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute by OPM and VA. As you know, this is a rapidly evolving situation. We will continue to hold VA accountable and take further legal action as necessary.

The 1997 MOU remains in full force. Please click on link below to download

BREAKING: President Joe Biden announces federal employees are getting a 5.2% pay raise effective Jan 1, 2024!

..for 2024, the across-the-board base pay increase will be 4.7 percent and locality pay increases will average 0.5 percent, resulting in an overall average increase of 5.2 percent for civilian Federal employees, consistent with the assumption in my 2024 Budget.

Time spent engaging in collective bargaining (5 U.S.C. 7131(a))

•Time spent in proceedings before the Authority, as determined by the FLRA (5 U.S.C. 7131(c))

•Official time for the establishment of a joint labor-management committee and participation in any related sub-committees (Article 3, Section 7)

•Participating in Joint labor management training as a trainer (Article 4, Section 3)

•Official time for representational participation in quality programs (Article 7, Section 2)

•Official Time for serving as a representative to the Department of Veterans Affairs Diversity Council (VADC) (Article 18, Section 7.A)

•Participation in local EEO committee(s), such as the EEO Advisory Committee, the Diversity Committee, etc., (Article 18, Section 7.C)

•Participation on a national task force or committee (Article 48, Section 2.B)

•Time spent in connection with national bargaining and LMR Committee meetings (Article 48, Section 4)

•Time spent making a presentation during new employee orientation (Article 49, Section 9)

•All activities related to Labor-Management Committees (Forums) (Article 48, Section 6)

•Serving in a union representational capacity in Quality programs (Article 48, Section 6)

Appropriate Uses of “Duty Time” for Union Representatives

•Time required for preparing and presenting appeals to the MSPB and handling discrimination complaints to the EEOC (Article 48, Section 6)

•Time spent serving as a Union representative during safety and health inspections, as a member of a Safety and Health Committee or its subcommittees, developing plans for abatement of materials, investigating accidents, and safety-related committee assignments. (Article 29, Section 3)

•Participation in a committee in a non-representational capacity including serving as a Subject Matter Expert 

•Attending training as a participant (i.e joint labor management training and whistle blower protection)

•Appearing as a witness in an arbitration

Click here for more information

VA COVID Vaccine Settlement

The NVAC National Training and Education Committee is pleased to announce that we will be holding a VIRTUAL TITLE 38 TRAINING on June 28, 2023 from 12:00-4:00pm ET. 

This training will include roughly 3 hours of instruction on the nuts and bolts of Title 38, focusing on what you need to be an effective AFGE representative for Title 38 employees. We will also have a Question and Answer session with NVAC Title 38 experts who are great resources for you and your fellow unionists. 

Official time for this training has been authorized by VACO-LMR.

More information and registration at http://afgenvac.org/training-education/

Our West Coast National Rep

I’m excited to announce that Gabriel Lopez was appointed by NVAC President Alma Lee. I’m confident that Gabriel will be a great asset for NVAC and our D12 locals. Congratulations Gabriel, ¡Si Se Puede!

Click here to subscribe

AFGE NVAC is finally returning to the negotiating table with the VA in March 2022. We’ll be negotiating on a two-weeks-on two-weeks-off basis, fighting for the rights of NVAC members and their families every step of the way.

By subscribing to this newsletter, you will receive bi-weekly email updates on the contract negotiations process as we renegotiate for a worker-centered contract. It is imperative that you stay informed and engaged to keep up the momentum, so subscribe to make your voice a part of this process.

Together, we can secure historic victories to better serve VA workers and our nation’s veterans for years to come.