Your OCC Advocate in Every Available Forum 

People who come to our agency often ask about the value of belonging to a federal employee labor union, especially for a white collar organization like the OCC.  The answer is pretty easy:  You get a powerful, professional organization working on your behalf every day.  Lobbyists, lawyers, labor relations experts, media relations specialists, trained and experienced leaders all working for you and your best interests.

Everyday there is NTEU representation watching out for you on Capital Hill, monitoring legislation, talking with staff and key committee members, providing data and facts on employee issues, testifying before Congress, strategizing to ensure that you have the tools and resources need to do your job and advance your career.

Everyday there is someone working at the bargaining table, negotiating agreements, meeting with management, and outlining proposals seeking ways to improve your work lives and working conditions.  Obviously, the Dodd-Frank Bill now gives us the authority to negotiate over compensation and benefits at a time when federal employee pay has come under serious attack in the media. 

Everyday the NTEU’s Office of General Counsel is working on legal issues, monitoring court cases and ensuring that decisions made in the courts are favorable to OCC and government employees.  NTEU has currently filed suit against the OCC alleging the wrongful withholding of information under the Freedom of Information Act.  This information is an outside consultant’s work that was performed to determine if the OCC’s pay system unintentionally discriminates against protected classes of employees.  This study was only performed after NTEU contacted Congressman Barney Frank’s office with our concern. 

Everyday, NTEU’s Public Relations Department is monitoring the media, talking with reporters, communicating with members on issues that are important to federal employees including those at the OCC.  The NTEU National President has gone on the offensive against media reports that have used distorted figures to support their claims that federal employees are overpaid.

Everyday, there is someone in the workplace, one of your co-workers with special training and expertise, to advise you and represent you, should an issue arise in your workplace.

A single employee could never have the resources to work with Congress, monitor and analyze federal labor law, and negotiate with management to address their workplace issues.  That is why NTEU is here for you.  And because NTEU represents employees in the other FIRREA agencies, our voice carries even more weight on these issues.

The Dodd-Frank Bill is a great example of how NTEU works for you.  Our primary focus was on employees and how the reform would impact them and their ability to do their jobs.  Throughout the process, we focused upon those perspectives, advocating solely for our members.  As proposals were considered, it was NTEU that analyzed and informed the key congressional and administrative players of what unintended consequences could occur.  When Treasury first released the original draft legislation, NTEU worked with Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Michael Barr and other members of the administration to secure improvement on provisions impacting our employees.  And when the House and Senate were considering their own versions of the bill, NTEU held discussions with key players, including the Chairmen of the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee.  Ultimately, we were successful in not only achieving the right to bargain over pay and benefits, but also of ensuring continuity of service for all employees regardless of whether they transferred to the new CFPB or stayed with the OCC.  We also looked ahead, recognizing the need to protect the rights of the OTS employees, who will eventually come into our fold.

NTEU’s work with Congress has also included our longstanding and now successful effort to increase the age of health care coverage for dependents beginning in Jan 2011.  Obviously, we will need to discuss and negotiate expanding the age for our OCC dental and vision coverage as well.  We will also seek to continue to ensure that the OCC employee contribution to health care coverage remains one of the lowest in the federal sector. 

This is something that NTEU pushed and achieved at the OCC even without the right to negotiate on pay and benefits.  How?  We informed our employees of the OCC’s vast reserves and what was occurring at other agencies (notably the FDIC).  On a national level, NTEU was successful in its longstanding effort to get FERS employees retirement credit for their unused portion of accrued sick leave.  These benefits do not just magically accrue to employees; it takes a lot of hard work and lobbying to get legislation passed. 

Currently, NTEU is in midterm contract negotiations with OCC management.  We are attempting to provide employees with greater knowledge of, and consequently access to, assignments outside of their normal assigned areas.  We are also seeking expansion of TeleWorking opportunities, increased flexibility with work schedules and renegotiating with management on the grievance process. 

Elected NTEU officers participate with OCC management on a weekly basis as a part of the Financial Reform Working Group.  Again NTEU is primarily concerned with ensuring employee’s interests are protected relative to OTS-OCC integration and the establishment of the CFPB.  

Going forward, it is too early to know what steps may be taken to rationalize the OCC pay system, but we do know broadly that some events and attitudes will shape the future.  One fact now is that the next Comptroller, to be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, will no longer have authority to take unilateral action on the pay and benefits of the bargaining unit, which of course includes our NTEU members.  We hope and trust the next Comptroller recognizes that negotiated input on the pay system will produce better results for the OCC, rather than unilateralism.  

We recognize that good-faith bargaining on pay and benefits likely will be part and parcel of the overall relationship between NTEU and OCC as it evolves, under a new Comptroller and executive managers who may stay on or retire.  Changes at the top of the house often facilitate better labor-management relations and we are optimistic that better days are ahead for all OCC employees, as the agency moves from a paternal organization to a more inclusive style of management.

On non-pay matters, pre-decisional involvement has barely begun to germinate however.  It is a concept that the current administration expects the next Comptroller to fully embrace.  Also, a major transition is about to occur as OTS employees are integrated into the OCC.  We will see whether the new Comptroller and Executive Committee will aim at fostering a meaningful partnership with NTEU, to work collaboratively on the OTS transition and on a myriad of matters, now including pay and benefits.

OCC Management has already informed NTEU that pay negotiability is not required until after the merger, however NTEU will seek to begin negotiations earlier.  While there are obvious areas that can and should be improved upon, most OCC employees will generally concur that our pay and benefits are good.  Therefore, we will strive to maintain what we currently have, while working toward the possibility of improvement.   Our focus will be upon engagement and equitable treatment of employees.   That includes how merit raises and pay increases are determined.  The transparency must be significantly improved.  

Change does not occur overnight and will need to be negotiated through the bargaining process.  Duly elected NTEU leaders will conduct these negotiations on behalf of all bargaining unit employees.  NTEU members will have the opportunity to approve or disapprove of any compensation and benefits contracts that are negotiated with the OCC.  However, all bargaining unit employees will be bound by those contracts. 

Clearly on any given day, NTEU is working on your behalf in a myriad and meaningful ways.  Your vocal and financial support of our work is very much needed and we encourage your involvement in our union. 

OCC Security Package - Reinvestigation

Recently it has come to our attention that employees are being requested to sign in advance an Authorization for Release of Medical Information as part of the reinvestigation process.  OPM was still including this as part of the automated package in the "e-QIP" system and in the form letter that goes out to employees. 

Upon bringing this to management's attention, Ron Sheldon, Assistant Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Security (CIPS), offered an apology and instructed his staff to correct the OPM language in the letter so that employees will know that they do not have to submit the medical release as part of the initial package.  According to Mr. Sheldon, there is of course the caveat that "OPM reserves the right to request the release from the employee at a later date if their investigator turns up information during the course of the investigation that would indicate an employee might be under treatment for a medical condition that could impact his or her suitability for a Public Trust position." 

If bargaining unit employees have any questions regarding this process, they are encouraged to contact their local NTEU representative.

As always we want to hear your feedback, good, bad or indifferent. Write us at this website.

A seat at the table, professionalism and fair and equitable treatment of employees…union values that you can count on (through out the year)!!!