300+ Workers at NASA’s Washington Headquarters Vote to Form a Union, IFPTE “This successful vote will allow us to work with management to improve working conditions for NASA support and administrative staff here at NASA headquarters, thereby improving operations, saving money, and retaining an engaged and professional workforce,” said Tifarah Thomas, a program specialist within NASA’s Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer. Professional support specialists at NASA headquarters […]

Keith’s note: Civil servants working at Wallops have been seeking to decertify their existing union since June 2013 claiming that union representation is no longer necessary at that location. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) has not yet decided if they will conduct a special secret ballot election among those civil servants to decertify the current union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The FLRA took the unusual step […]

Federal Labor Relations Authority Invites Customer Input on Representation Issue “The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is inviting customer input on a significant representation issue arising in a case currently pending before the Authority: National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Island, Virginia, Case No. WA-RP-13-0052, 67 FLRA 258 (2014) (Member DuBester concurring). The Authority order granting review in pertinent part can be found here. This case […]

Union says ‘supervisory mischief’ leads to ‘robust’ bias at NASA A federal union representing NASA employees said racial “bias is robust” in a letter last week to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE) told OPM Director Katherine Archuleta that “NASA’s performance ratings are improperly influenced by demographic factors such that, on average, white employees are rated higher than minority employees. The […]

NASA ARC Memo: Management Appointments: Details and Appointments Keith’s note: ARC Center Director Pete Worden made a series of standard personnel announcements yesterday including his chief scientist. In what has to be one of the goofiest things I have ever heard a union rep claim, it would seem that the Union wants to have a vote or a popularity contest in the routine filling of these positions. Is this civil […]

IFPTE/AFGE Letter on NASA Authorization Act “The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) are writing to inform you that this bill is far from non-controversial. In this regard, IFPTE and AFGE urge you to oppose HR 5781 if it comes before you in its current form.” Vote on NASA Bill Appears Unlikely Before September, Space News “The International Association of […]

Machinists in Houston Rally to Save Space Program Jobs, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers “It’s time to let Congress know that American astronauts deserve better than a heavily outsourced space program that relies on Russian, Japanese and even Chinese contractors to provide transportation to the International Space Station (ISS),” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “If NASA and the Obama administration have their way, American astronauts will be reduced […]