New CBA Memo from FISE President
Notice from FISE President
Date: February 1, 2012
To: FISE Membership and Bargaining Unit employees
Greetings FISE members. I am very pleased to announce and present the signed Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Federation of Indian Service Employees Union and the Department of Interior’s Office of Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Education, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians and the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. This agreement was approved after approximately 18 months of negotiations between representatives of all four agencies from management and from the Union.
This CBA is in alignment with President Obama’s Executive Order 13522, Interior Secretary Salazar’s Policy on Labor-Management Cooperation memo, dated July 2, 2010, and Assistant Secretary Echohawk’s endorsement of both, for labor and management to work collaboratively in addressing workplace issues.
Rollout of this CBA will be provided jointly by management and the Union at Regional Offices throughout the country beginning this spring. Hard copies of the document will be provided to all FISE Stewards and Chief Stewards, with electronic versions available to all employees on the Employer’s intranet and on the FISE website. FISE legal department will also provide training to stewards and chief stewards on the new CBA by region, after the rollout.
I believe that this new contract is a major improvement over the old CBA. The improved working relationship between management and labor, and a contract that is clearer to understand will improve the working life of our union membership. If there are any questions or clarifications needed regarding this document, employees should address them to the local steward or chief steward, their regional representative or the national office.
Sue Parton
President, Federation of Indian Service Employees
