[ v23 p193 ]
23:0193(25)NG
The decision of the Authority follows:
23 FLRA No. 25
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2185
Union
and
TOOELE ARMY DEPOT
TOOELE, UTAH
Agency
Case No. 0-NG-1215
DECISON AND ORDER ON NEGOTIABILITY ISSUES
I. Statement of the Case
This case is before the Authority because of a negotiability appeal
filed under section 7105(a)(2)(E) of the Federal Service
Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute) and concerns the
negotiability of four Union proposals. The proposals all concern leave
during partial closure of the Agency around the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays. As submitted, the proposals are as follows:
1. Management will make every conceivable attempt to avoid
forcing any employee to take annual leave or LWOP and will make
every conceivable attempt to assign employees to available work
for which the employee is qualified if employees do not elect to
take annual leave or LWOP.
2. Pursuant to a questionnaire to be mutually agreed upon,
employees will be polled as to whether they desire annual leave,
LWOP or other assigned work.
3. An extremely liberal leave policy will be in effect. No
employee requests for annual leave or LWOP will be denied unless
an emergency exists or work demands leave no other alternatives.
In any event, no requests for annual leave or LWOP will be denied
where there are other employees who want to work and not take
annual leave or LWOP and the employee is otherwise qualified to
perform the work.
4. Prior to forcing any employee to take annual leave or LWOP,
in the event that there are more employees desiring to work than
there is work available, the following procedures will apply:
(a) work assignments amongst employees desiring work will be
given to qualified employees with the greatest seniority; and
(b) before an employee will be required to take LWOP because
the employee does not have sufficient annual leave, upon request
the employee will be advanced annual leave if management has any
reason to believe that the employee will be able to restore
advanced annual leave.
Subsequently, in its Statement of Position, the Agency stated it had
no objection to Proposal 2 and that if the Union agreed to include FPM
requirements concerning the granting of annual leave as part of Proposal
4(b) it would not object to that proposal either. In its Reply Brief
the Union agreed with the Agency's position on Proposal 4(b). Thus, the
issues concerning Proposals 2 and 4(b) are moot and will not be
considered further in this decision.
II. Union Proposal 1
A. Positions of the Parties
The Agency reads the phrase that it "make every conceivable attempt
to assign employees to available work" if they decline to take annual
leave or leave without pay (LWOP) as requiring such assignments. It
also asserts that it would be precluded from assigning available work to
other employees. Therefore, it asserts that the proposal conflicts with
management's reserved rights to assign employees under section
7106(a)(2)(A) and to assign work under section 7106(a)(2)(B) of the
Statute. The Agency also argues that the requirement to assign work
"for which the employee is qualified" similarly interferes with
management's rights because it could result in the assignment of an
overqualified employee at higher pay than necessary.
The Union argues that the proposal merely deals with the impact of
management's decision to partially close the Agency around the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It understood that the Activity
would make work available to some employees during the periods in
question, and sought to avoid or lessen the impact of closure. It
concedes that an agency has the right to require employees to take
charged leave during such closures under current Authority case law.
B. Analysis and Conclusions
The Authority concludes that Union Proposal 1 is nonnegotiable. By
requiring management to make "every conceivable attempt" to avoid
requiring an employee to take annual leave (A/L) or leave without pay
(LWOP), the proposal effectively could require management to forego its
plan to partially close down if more employees wanted to work (rather
than take A/L or LWOP) than were called for by the management plan. The
second clause would have the same effect. It is undisputed that the
Agency has the right to partially close during holiday periods. The
same decision, under the same Army Civilian Personnel Regulation
involved in this case, led the Authority to determine that an agency
could require employees to take annual leave during such closings.
National Association of Government Employees, Local R14-62 and U.S. Army
Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah, 18 FLRA No. 38 (1985), petition for
review filed sub nom. National Association of Government Employees,
Local R14-62 v. FLRA, No. 85-2098 (10th Cir. July 23, 1985). Thus the
proposal is outside the duty to bargain because it could result in
depriving management of its rights to require employees to take leave,
and ultimately prevent the closing of operations, contrary to
management's rights to assign employees under section 7106(a)(2)(A) and
to assign work under section 7106(a)(2)(B) of the Statute. In addition,
the "every conceivable attempt" language does not limit the proposal,
because we have consistently held that proposals requiring an agency to
make an effort to accomplish an objective which is outside the duty to
bargain are themselves nonnegotiable. Maritime/Metal Trades Council and
Panama Canal Commission, 18 FLRA No. 43 (1985) (Union Proposal 5).
While intended by the Union as an arrangement for employees adversely
affected by the Agency's exercise of its rights to require employees to
take leave and to partially close down, we find that under the
circumstances discussed above, the proposal is not an appropriate
arrangement within the meaning of section 7106(b)(3) of the Statute.
Thus, where a proposed amelioration of adverse effects of an Agency's
exercise of its rights could totally eliminate the Agency's discretion
to exercise its rights, such proposal amounts to "excessive
interference" with the exercise of management's rights, and is not an
appropriate arrangement. Federal Union of Scientists and Engineers and
Department of the Navy, Naval Underwater Systems Center, 22 FLRA No. 83
(1986). See also American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO,
Local 2782 v. Federal Labor Relations Employees Authority, 702 F.2d
1183, 1188 (D.C. Cir. 1983).
The Agency also argues that the requirement to assign work "for which
the employee is qualified" could result in the assignment of an
overqualified employee at higher pay than necessary. Although we have
already determined this proposal to be nonnegotiable, since the argument
arises later in connection with other proposals, we note that this part
of the proposal would not render nonnegotiable an otherwise negotiable
provision. As long as the Agency can set the qualifications, there is
nothing to preclude it from limiting its definition of "qualified" to
those employees who are not overqualified or whose work would not
require the Agency to pay a higher rate than normal for the job. Thus,
management's discretion to select and assign employees based on
job-related characteristics is not limited by the language of the
proposal. See American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO,
National Immigration and Naturalization Service Council and U.S.
Department of Justice, (Immigration and Naturalization Service), 8 FLRA
347, 383-4 (1982).
III. Union Proposal 3
A. Positions of the Parties
The Agency argues that the proposal would nullify management's right
under section 7106(a)(2)(B) of the Statute to determine when work will
be performed. Further, the Agency asserts that the last sentence of the
proposal would interfere with its right under the same section of the
Statute to make work assignments.
The Union states that the first part of the proposal merely restates
the liberal leave policy which already exists, under which management
determines work demands. The second part of the proposal, embodied in
the last sentence, would protect leave requests if qualified volunteers
are available.
B. Analysis and Conclusions
The Authority concludes that under the facts presented, this proposal
is negotiable. The Agency's right to determine when work will be
performed is unaffected because there is no indication that the phrases
"unless . . . work demand leave no other alternatives" is intended to
restrict management's control over deciding and defining what are the
demands of work. As long as management can determine what constitutes
"work demands," it controls completely any decision as to scheduling or
delaying all aspects of accomplishment of its mission, consistent with
any decision to close during holiday periods. Further, to say that
employees would not be required to take leave if qualified volunteers
exist -- which is essentially the point of the last sentence in the
proposal -- does not interfere with management's right to make work
assignments, or for that matter to assign employees. So long as
management can determine the qualifications for a given assignment, such
a proposal constitutes a negotiable procedure within the meaning of
section 7106(b)(2) of the Statute. Thus, it merely provides that
selection among equally qualified employees, as defined by management,
will take into account volunteers rather than require another employee
to work who prefers to take available leave. See American Federation of
Government Employees, Council of Social Security District Office Locals
and Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security
Administration, 15 FLRA 545 (1984); and National Federation of Federal
Employees, Local 1622 and U.S. Commissary, Fort Meade, Maryland, 16 FLRA
998 (1984) (Union Provision II).
IV. Union Proposal 4(a)
A. Positions of the Parties
The Agency regards the proposal as "nothing more than a seniority
clause" (Agency Statement of Position, p. 4) which is inconsistent with
management's right to assign employees and to assign work, essentially
as argued in regard to the other proposals discussed above.
The Union argues, as above, that the proposal does not limit the
Agency in designating numbers or types of employess or work needs, but
only would require that assignments be by seniority among equally
qualified employees.
B. Analysis and Conclusions
For essentially the reasons discussed above, the Authority finds that
this proposal is negotiable. We have already noted that so long as a
proposal does not limit management's right to define the "demands" of
work, it does not interfere with management's authority to decide what
work will be performed during the holiday periods. Similarly, the
Agency's argument that it could not select which employee to "lay off,"
that is, to require to take annual leave, is rejected for the same
reasons noted above regarding available volunteers. By preserving
management's right to define the category and qualifications of
employees to do a job, the proposal to give seniority preference to
employees desiring to work rather than take forced leave is negotiable.
In sum, as long as those on the seniority list are determined to be
equally qualified under criteria determined by management, the proposal
is negotiable. See Laborers International Union of North America,
AFL-CIO, Local 1276 and Veterans Administration, National Cemetery
Office, San Francisco, California, 9 FLRA 703, 706-707 (1982).
V. Order
Pursuant to section 2424.10 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations,
IT IS ORDERED that the petition for review, as it relates to Proposal 1,
found to be nonnegotiable, 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 concerning Union Proposals 3 and 4(a).
/*/
Issued, Washington, D.C., August 15, 1986
/s/ Jerry L. Calhoun
Jerry L. Calhoun, Chairman
/s/ Henry B. Frazier III
Henry B. Frazier III, Member
FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY
--------------- FOOTNOTES$ ---------------
(*) In finding these proposals to be within the duty to bargain, the
Authority makes no judgment as to their merits.