Labor-Management Relations

GROUND RULES

GROUND RULES . . . LOCAL NEGOTIATIONS

Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Moorestown, New Jersey and National Association of Agriculture Employees, Case No. 99 FSIP 111, December 6, 1999 (Release No. 427).

The UNION proposed the following:

Despite the general applicability of these generic local ground rules to all local negotiations in the Northeast Region as provided above, each local union and management negotiating team shall have the right to propose and negotiate additional ground rules (i.e., provisions no expressly covered by these generic ground rules), not to exceed six (6) in number, as well as the obligations to negotiate with the other party those provisions in these generic ground rules expressly reserved for subsequent local negotiations or subsequent mutual agreement.

The AGENCY proposed that, "if unusual circumstances exist," either party may negotiate no more than two amendments to the applicable generic local ground rules.

ARBITRATOR Bonnie P. Castrey, in a compromise decision, ordered that the parties may negotiate three amendments to the generic ground rules to provide for local needs that are not already addressed.

GROUND RULES . . . TRAVEL AND PER DIEM FOR OUTSIDE NEGOTIATORS

The UNION proposed the following:

Should management elect to have negotiators come from outside the port where negotiations are to occur, the Union shall be entitled to have an equivalent number of negotiators from outside the port, each of whom shall be at full Government travel (pursuant to AD 202) and per diem, consisting of full hotel and full meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) for the date of travel to the negotiating site and for the first full day of negotiations. Thereafter, the Agency shall pay the hotel portion of the per diem and one half the M&IE portion for each outside Union negotiator.

The AGENCY proposed the following:

Should the Employer elect to have negotiators come from outside of the Port, the Union will be entitled to have an equivalent number of negotiators from outside the Port. The Employer will pay the travel costs for one round trip, unless otherwise mutually agreed (pursuant to AD 202), for such Union representatives, to the extent they come from within the Northeast Region. The Agency will pay lodging costs in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations. The Union will pay all M&IE costs.

ARBITRATOR Bonnie P. Castrey ordered the following:

If the Employer elects to have negotiators from outside the Port, the Union will be entitled to have an equal number of negotiators from outside the Port. The Employer will pay the travel costs pursuant to AD 202 for such Union Representatives and the lodging costs in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. The Union will pay for the meals and incidental expenses of its outside negotiators.