FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 1997

CONTACT: Mary Ann Maloney (202) 606-1800 mamalone@opm.gov

Washington, D.C.--Members of the labor-management team at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida are being honored by the National Partnership Council for their efforts in creating a team that has improved customer service and saved tax dollars. The members of the Tampa Veterans Hospital partnership will receive the award at the National Partnership Award ceremony on:

The National Partnership Council was created on October 1, 1993, by President Clinton to forge labor-management relations throughout the Executive Branch and encourage agencies and unions to work together to create a government that works better and costs less. The Council is comprised of federal cabinet and agency officials, the presidents of the American Federation of Government Employees, National Treasury Employees Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, a representative of the Public Employees Department of the AFL-CIO, and representatives from the Senior Executive Association and the Federal Managers Association.

Fostered by labor-management partnerships, the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital is undergoing the most radical change in its history. Hospital processes, customer needs, and service delivery are now being examined by Continuous Quality Improvement teams made up of labor-management representatives. The quality teams have brought results. Delivery time for critical medication has been sharply reduced. The turnaround time for X-ray reports also has been cut, as has the time it takes to schedule patient appointments for speciality clinics. Internally, labor and management are working to develop recognition programs, for both individual employees and groups, that promote unit cohesiveness, improve employee morale, and encourage excellence in customer support. The Local Partnership Council strives to use a partnering approach to address employee relations and labor-management issues, rather than the traditional position-based approach. From fiscal year 1993 to fiscal year 1996, the hospital received 128 EEO complaints. In fiscal year 1997 complaints significantly decreased to 12. In addition, 37 potential EEO complaints were resolved informally by interest-based discussions. This dramatic decrease in EEO complaints has saved in excess of $740,000.

In addition to saluting the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital partnership, the National Partnership Council will present awards to six other partnerships that have improved service and saved money.

Each of the partnerships we recognize today is a model for managers and unions as they work together to deliver the highest quality services to the American people, said Vice President Al Gore, who has spearheaded the Reinventing Government effort.

Janice R. Lachance, Acting OPM Director and Chair of the NPC, added, Todays honorees have proven that federal labor-management partnerships provide real results for the American people by saving taxpayer money and delivering better services.

Members of the media wishing to attend the ceremony should contact OPMs Mary Ann Maloney at 202-606-1800 or at mamalone@opm.gov. A live satellite broadcast can be downlinked using the following coordinates:

-END-

To OPM Home Page