EPA’s biggest union is warning the agency that bargaining over its next agreement has been placed in jeopardy.
American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents over 9,000 EPA employees, is pushing the agency to relent on its position regarding the duration of the future contract, according to a letter sent Tuesday to Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. At issue is whether that next deal will remain in effect while both sides bargain to reach a new one after it expires years from now.
Discord over negotiations between EPA and AFGE comes as the union looks to lock down protections for staffers at the agency before their current agreement expires in months. This next contract is vital too, considering it will last beyond this year’s presidential election and could help safeguard EPA employees during a potential second Trump administration, given the first was tumultuous for the agency.
“The Agency is insisting that the AFGE agree to a contract that can simply be ended by one party, a stance that is reminiscent of the previous administration,” Marie Owens Powell, president of AFGE Council 238, and Joyce Howell, the council’s lead negotiator, said in the letter.
