MEMORANDUM
TO:3rd District Local Presidents and Secretary/Treasurers
FROM:Keith J. Hill, National Vice President
DATE:July 15, 2014
SUBJECT:District 3 LEADERSHIP TRAINING/SEMINAR
AFGE District 3, in cooperationwith the National Office, is sponsoring a District Leadership Training/Seminar at the Sheraton Station Square, 300 W Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Travel days are Monday, September 15, and Friday, September 19, 2014. Training will begin Tuesday, September 16, 2014.
For your information, enclosed is a program agenda, workshop selection form, an administrative leave request form, and summary of courses. Please read this memorandum at your next meeting and, encourage your members to attend. The cut-off date for registration isAugust 29, 2014. Please note that classes are subject to cancellation based on the amount of registrations that are received. A determination will be made on August 22 and should there be insufficient registrations for a course, it will be cancelled. The locals will be advised and will be offered their choice of another class (subject to availability).
The registration fee for this training/seminar is $225.00 per delegate. Late registration (if available) cost is $250.00. Checks should be made out to AFGE District 3 and sent to the attention of Linda Albanese, AFGE, District 3Office. The fee covers course materials and administrative costs. There will be no refunds after August 22. Please note that registration fees must be received at the district office prior to the training.
Hotel rates are $129.00 per room, per night, excluding tax and occupancy fees. There are no refunds if you leave early. Please let them know you are from American Federation of Government Employees.
You can make reservations by calling the hotel at 1-888-627-8166. The cut-off date for making reservations will beTUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014.Please note that there are only a limited amount of rooms reserved under the block. Reservations and/or rates cannot be guaranteed after this date or if the room block sells out. Make reservations early.
We are looking forward to seeing you at this most important training session. Please call the office, (570) 883-9572, should you have any questions.
Attachments
KJH/la
District 3 Training
Sheraton Station Square
300 W Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
September 15-19, 2014
Agenda
Monday,
September 15, 2014 6:30 pm to 8:00 pmRegistration
8:00 pm to 9:00 pm Welcome Reception
Pointview Room
Tuesday,
September 15, 2014 8:00 am to 9:00 amRegistration
Workshops
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, September 16, 17, 18, 2014
Breakfast Buffet: 7:30 am to 8:30 am
9:00 am to 5:00 pm Representation
Financial Officers Training
Advanced Collective Bargaining
Title 38
New Leaders
YOUNG Training
Litigation
Lunch Buffet: 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm
Breaks: 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Hospitality Room Sponsored by Benefit Architects
Tuesday & Wednesday Evening 7 pm to 10 pm–15th Floor Suite
Memorandum
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE REQUEST FOR UNION-SPONSORED
TRAINING PROGRAMS ______
The intent of the Federal Service Labor-Management Statute (5 USC 7101 et seg) is to maintain constructive and cooperative relationships, between labor organizations and management officials, and to provide employees with an opportunity to participate in the formulation and implementation, of personnel policies and practices, affecting the conditions of their employment. It has been established and mutually agreed upon that there is an advantage to the agency as well as the Union officers and representatives are knowledgeable, in the respective rights and obligations, of labor organizations and agency management.
The program outline has been prepared to help resolve problems that may arise for Local Union and management officials in granting administrative leave to our members to attend training programs. In Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, 45 FLRA 339, 362-367, 45 FLRA No. 30, (1992), Provision 7, the FLRA held that administrative time for travel and attendance, at Union sponsored training, is negotiable (legal). To underscore the importance of this use, it is appropriate to point out that the FLRA reached this conclusion using two "theories", in the event that either rational was incorrect.
The theories are that use of administrative time for this purpose is either an exception to the management rights law, or an appropriate arrangement that does not excessively interfere with management rights. Thus, the district training is both legal and in the interest of the agency. In the same case, Provision 4, the FLRA held that the use of official time to prepare reports that required by any federal law (not only DOL laws) was negotiable/legal. Thus, if the Union training were going to include any training on preparing LM reports, etc., the use of administrative time would come under provision 7 and the application of the training would further performance of federal requirements under provision 4. Therefore, it is requested that administrative leave be granted to employees for their attendance and participation in this AFGE Training Program.
AFGE DISTRICT 3TRAINING
September 15-19, 2014
REGISTRATION FORM
Name:______Local No.#:______
Address:______City:______State:___Zip:______
Phone Number: (W):______(C):______
Personal Email Address: ______
Registration Fee:
Registration Per Person $225.
LATE Registration (postmarked after August 29) Per Person $250 if available.
Make check payable toAFGE District 3;and mailto the attention of Linda Albanese, AFGE District 3 Office,
P O Box 180, Long Pond, PA 18334, before the deadline date of August 29, 2014.
Monday, September 15, 2014
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. - Registration
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
8:00 am- 9:00 am - Registration
Training Seminars - (Pick One)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – September 16, 17, 18, 2014 - 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m.
1. ______Representation (formerly known as “Steward’s Training)
Instructor: Joseph Corcoran, AFGE District 3 National Representative
2. ______ Financial Officers Training
Instructor: Randy Stewart/Yvonne Wheeler
(Class size extremely limited. Return selection ASAP for this course.)
3. ______AdvancedCollective Bargaining
Instructor: AFGE, FSED
4. ______New Leaders
Instructor: Cameron Barron, AFGE, FSED
5. ______Title 38
Instructor: TBD, AFGE National VA Council
6. ______YOUNG Training
Instructor: Jorae Williams, AFGE WFP
7. ______Litigation Training (Arbitration)
Instructor: TBD, AFGE General Counsel Office
Please make a copy of this form, pick a workshop and return the information required to the Third District Office as soon as possible.
1. Representation
New and experienced union representatives will benefit by taking this course as it focuses on the primary duties and responsibilities of an AFGE shop steward. Concentrating on the steward’s role in solving workplace problems, this class will explore the legal framework for the AFGE steward’s job and will include an examination of the Federal Labor Management Relations Statue.
2. Financial Officers Training
This three (3) day course is a Standardized Accounting Program offered through the use of QuickBooks for AFGE’s Financial Officers. We have tailored this system to AFGE Locals and Councils by developing the Chart of Accounts and setting up the company for our Locals and Councils. Through the use of this system, it is now easy for our Locals to address the annual reporting requirements with the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service. This class is hands-on with computers brought in for each participant.
3. AdvancedCollective Bargaining
Good negotiators use a mix of legal precedent, strategy, data, and process mechanics to produce agreements—whether at a term or mid-term table. This class will touch on the most important insights from each of those areas at each of the more than one dozen stages of the federal sector bargaining process.
4. New Leaders
The New Leaders course is designed to equip new leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively lead their Local. Topics include a review of the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of local officers, Hatch Act requirements, and labor/management forums.
5. TITLE 38
Labor-management relations with Title 38 Veterans Health Administration ("VHA") employees present unique issues that are not involved in standard Title 5 labor matters. This course provides a working overview and practical guide to better understanding the complexities of representing Title 38 VHA employees. It focuses on areas that union or other representatives of Title 38 VHA employees
encounter throughout their representation of these employees and serves as a useful tool in guiding you through the intricate and comprehensive issues that are faced in your representational roles.
6. Y.O.U.N.G. Training
Y.O.U.N.G. TRAINING
AFGE Y.O.U.N.G. training is a brand new course designed for AFGE’s young organizing unionists for the next generation. This new training will give young activists and mentors an in-depth look atAFGE's structure, the importance of the modern labor movement and an overview of the EEO process. As an added bonus, we have teamed up with the Communications Department to provide training on how to most effectively use social media to attract and engage younger members.
Participants will also learn:
- How to be a Y.O.U.N.G coordinator
- Their duties and responsibilities of being a Y.O.U.N.G. coordinator
- How to best reach other young workers in their locals
- How to use platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to engage younger workers
- How to build a union activist
- Basic understanding of EEO process
7. Litigation Training
This class will focus on identifying and preparing winning arbitration cases and learning the basic skills for presenting a hearing before an arbitrator.