[ v14 p283 ]
14:0283(53)NG
The decision of the Authority follows:
14 FLRA No. 53
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 29
Union
and
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY,
KANSAS CITY DISTRICT,
CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Agency
Case No. O-NG-474
DECISION AND ORDER ON NEGOTIABILITY ISSUES
The petition for review in this case comes before the Authority
pursuant to section 7105(a)(2)(D) and (E) of the Federal Service
Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute) and presents issues
concerning the negotiability of four Union proposals. /1/ Upon careful
consideration of the entire record, including the contentions of the
parties, the Authority makes the following determinations.
Union Proposal 1
Section 2.b
Major Job Element means a component of an employee's job that
is not of sufficient importance in itself that performance below
the minimal level requires removing, demoting or withholding a
within-grade increase of the employee. Appraisals of Major Job
Elements may be used as a basis for other personnel decisions
which include recognizing and rewarding employees whose
performance so warrants, and as a basis for determining training
needs. (Only the underlined portion of the proposal is in
dispute.)
Under Union Proposal 1 management could deny a within-grade increase
to an employee only if the employee performed "below the minimal level"
in a "critical," as opposed to a "major," element. In this regard,
applicable Army regulations define a "major element" as a major duty or
responsibility of a position; and such elements could include both
critical and noncritical elements. /2/
Under applicable Government-wide regulations the granting of a
within-grade increase must be based on an overall employee performance
rating of fully acceptable (fully satisfactory or fully successful) as
established in the agency's performance appraisal system. /3/
Understood in terms of this regulatory requirement, therefore, and
consistent with the Union's stated intent, /4/ Union Proposal 1 would
preclude management from establishing, as a criterion for fully
acceptable overall performance, a level of performance which would
include assessment of performance in a noncritical "major" element.
Conversely, the proposal would require management to establish as a
criterion for the granting of a within-grade increase a standard of
overall performance which would encompass even minimally satisfactory
performance in one or all major job elements.
In thus prescribing the level of performance which would evidence an
"acceptable level of competence," i.e., performance which would merit an
overall rating of fully acceptable, so as to qualify an employee for a
within-grade increase, Union Proposal 1 has the same effect as Union
Proposal 6 in American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO,
Local 32 and Office of Personnel Management, Washington, D.C., 14 FLRA
No. 2 (1984), which established the quality of performance necessary to
attain a positive acceptable level of competence rating. In that case,
the Authority held, relying on its decision in American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Council 26 and U.S.
Department of Justice, 13 FLRA No. 96 (1984), that by establishing the
performance requirements for a given level of performance, i.e., the
granting of a within-grade increase, the proposal at issue directly
interfered with management's rights to direct employees and assign work
under section 7106(a)(2)(A) and (B) of the Statute. /5/ Thus, for the
reasons more fully set forth in the Department of Justice and Office of
Personnel Management decisions, Union Proposal 1 herein, which likewise
establishes the level of performance required to receive a within-grade
increase, directly interferes with management's rights to direct
employees and assign work and is outside the duty to bargain. /6/
Union Proposal 2
Section 2.c
Performance Standards is the description of the level of
accomplishment or achievement for performance of the duties and
responsibilities of a position or group of positions; expressed
as a range of performance in terms such as: quality, quantity,
timeliness, etc. As required by this contract, performance
standards for each critical element will be established for five
levels of performance, e.g., exceptional, highly successful, fully
successful, marginal, and unsatisfactory. (Only the underlined
portion of the proposal is in dispute.)
Union Proposal 3
Section 2.e
The following definitions shall apply to the summary or overall
performance appraisal rating:
(1) Exceptional. Performance that meets the performance
standard for exceptional performance in one or more critical
elements and at least meets the performance standards for fully
successful performance for all other critical elements.
(2) Highly successful. Performance that meets the performance
standard for highly successful performance in one or more critical
elements and meets the performance standard for fully successful
performance for all other critical elements.
(3) Fully successful. Performance that meets the performance
standard for fully successful performance for all critical
elements.
(4) Marginal. Performance below the performance standard for
fully successful performance for one or more critical elements,
but at least meets the performance standard for marginal
performance for all critical elements.
(5) Unsatisfactory. Performance that fails to meet at least
the performance standard for marginal performance in one or more
critical elements.
Union Proposal 2 requires the Agency to establish five rating levels
for each critical element. Union Proposal 3 establishes five rating
levels for appraising an employee's overall performance and sets forth
criteria for determining the quality of performance necessary to achieve
a given overall rating. In this regard, Union Proposals 2 and 3 have
the same effect as the proposal at issue in American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Council 26 and U.S.
Department of Justice, 13 FLRA No. 96 (1984), which prescribed the
number of rating levels to be used for each critical element and for
overall evaluations, and the level of performance which would warrant a
given overall rating. In that case, the Authority held that the
determination of the number of performance levels for both individual
job elements and overall performance and the establishment of criteria
for assessing the overall level of performance of an employee were
essential aspects of management's rights to direct employees and assign
work under section 7106(a)(2)(A) and (B) of the Statute. Thus, for the
reasons more fully set forth in the Department of Justice decision,
Union Proposals 2 and 3 are outside the duty to bargain under the
Statute. /7/
Union Proposal 4
Section 6.a
When an employee's performance in one or more critical elements
fails to meet the established performance standard for fully
successful, but meets the established standards for marginal
performance, the supervisor will utilize the procedures in Section
7. of this Article. If after fulfilling the requirement of
Section 7., the employee's performance remains marginal, the
supervisor may take action to withhold the employee's within-grade
increase.
The Agency alleges only that an Army regulation, AR 690-400, chap.
430, bars negotiation on Union Proposal 4. Under section 7117(a)(2) of
the Statute and subpart B of Part 2424 of the Authority's Rules and
Regulations, an agency regulation can bar negotiations on a conflicting
union proposal only if a compelling need exists for such regulation.
The agency bears the burden of coming forward with affirmative support
for its assertion that the regulation relied on bars negotiations
because there is a compelling need under the Authority's criteria.
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Local 1928 and
Department of the Navy, Naval Air Development Center, Warminster,
Pennsylvania, 2 FLRA 450, 454 (1980). In the instant case, while the
Agency identifies the provisions of its internal regulations with which
the Union's proposal allegedly conflicts, it does not cite any of the
Authority's compelling need criteria nor adduce any evidence to support
a conclusion that those regulations meet the requirements of any of the
criteria. /8/ Thus, the Agency has failed to support its allegation
that a compelling need exists for the regulations upon which it relies
to bar negotiation of Union Proposal 4. Moreover, the Agency has not
alleged that Union Proposal 4 is in any other manner inconsistent with
applicable law, rule or regulation. Therefore, Union Proposal 4 is
within the Agency's duty to bargain under the Statute.
Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, pursuant to section 2424.10
of the Authority's Rules and Regulations, IT IS ORDERED that the
petition for review as to Union Proposals 1, 2, and 3 be, and it hereby
is, dismissed. IT is FURTHER ORDERED that the Agency shall upon request
(or as otherwise agreed to by the parties) bargain on Union Proposal 4.
/9/
Issued, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1984
Barbara J. Mahone, Chairman
Ronald W. Haughton, Member
Henry B. Frazier III, Member
FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY
--------------- FOOTNOTES$ ---------------
/1/ In its Statement of Position in response to the Union's appeal,
the Agency contends for the first time that two additional Union
proposals, Section 1 and Section 10, are outside the duty to bargain.
These proposals were not appealed by the Union and, therefore, they are
not before the Authority at this time. See section 7117(c)(3) of the
Statute and section 2424.1 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations.
/2/ Army Regulation AR 690-400, chap. 430, subchap. 1, para. 1-3
provides, in part:
e. Major element. A major duty or responsibility of an
employee's position; a major result or output expected from the
employee. A major element becomes a critical element when it is
important enough to meet the definition of critical element . . .
(.)
See also Army Regulation AR 690-400, chap. 430, subchap. 2, para. 2-2
and 3; subchap. 3, para. 3-2.b.
/3/ 5 U.S.C. 5335(a) provides that an employee in the General
Schedule shall be advanced to the next higher within-grade rate at
certain intervals provided, among other things, the work of the employee
is of an "acceptable level of competence." "Acceptable level of
competence" is defined in 5 CFR 531.403 as follows:
Sec. 531.403 Definitions.
In this subchapter:
"Acceptable level of competence" means a level of performance
identified by an employing agency at which performance by an
employee of the duties and responsibilities of his or her assigned
position is fully acceptable (or equivalent terms such as fully
satisfactory or fully successful used in the agency's performance
appraisal plan) and, in addition to the requirement of Sec.
531.404 of this subpart, warrants advancement of the employee's
rate of basic pay to the next higher step of the grade of his or
her position. An employee whose current performance with respect
to any critical element is unacceptable, as defined in Sec.
430.101(a)(3) of this chapter, is not performing at an acceptable
level of competence. Further, absent unusual circumstances, an
employee whose overall performance during the waiting period is at
the minimum level required for retention in the position but below
a fully acceptable level is not performing at an acceptable level
of competence.
/4/ Union Reply Brief at 4.
/5/ Section 7106 of the Statute provides, in relevant part, as
follows:
Sec. 7106. Management rights
(a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section, nothing in this
chapter shall affect the authority of any management official of
any agency--
. . . .
(2) in accordance with applicable laws--
(A) to . . . direct . . . employees in the agency . . .;
(B) to assign work(.)
/6/ In view of the decision herein, the Authority finds it
unnecessary to reach the Agency's additional contentions that Union
Proposal 1 is inconsistent with applicable Government-wide regulations
or barred from negotiation by an Agency regulation for which a
compelling need exists.
/7/ In view of the decision herein, the Authority finds it
unnecessary to reach the Agency's additional contention that Union
Proposals 2 and 3 are barred from negotiation by an Agency regulation
for which a compelling need exists.
/8/ See section 2424.11 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations.
/9/ In decision that Union Proposal 4 is within the duty to bargain,
the Authority makes no judgment as to its merits.