New Year, New Opportunities
This past year was a time of great progress and achievement for NFFE and its members. We have seen vast improvements in our organizing, stepped up our communications and secured a series of significant legislative victories.
Now, with 2010 in full swing, we are looking to build on these successes and bring our union to even greater heights. In this spirit, I would like to share with you some of the many priorities that NFFE will pursue as 2010 continues to unfold.
In the early days of this year, we announced the formation of the Federal Workers Alliance (FWA), a coalition of 21 unions representing federal workers. FWA members will work together in solidarity to promote favorable legislation and personnel policies for the more than 300,000 combined federal employees it represents. Working side by side with our union brothers and sisters on these matters benefits us all.
Another important relationship we are looking to cultivate is that between labor and management at the many agencies we represent. We intend to play a very active role in the formation of new agency partnership councils. Our goal is to build a strong foundation for robust and productive dialogue to take place between workers and their managers.
We have an ambitious legislative agenda for 2010. Among our numerous legislative priorities this year, we hope to secure pay parity between military and civilian employees, establish a paid parental leave benefit, and to obtain the benefits that many temporary federal employees are denied.
Lastly, NFFE will continue to focus on organizing and engaging new members. With the new Organizing Strategic Plan in motion, we are committing significant time and resources to growing our union. By year's end we anticipate greater growth in members than we experienced in 2009.
With your help, I am looking forward to making 2010 the best year ever to be a NFFE member.
William R. Dougan
Lobby Week 2009 has Arrived
Monday, May 11, 2009
(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Today marks the beginning
of Lobby Week 2009, as NFFE-IAM representatives
from around the country descend on Washington,
D.C. for the IAMAW’s annual Legislative
Conference.
In the face of one of the
most favorable political climates in years,
NFFE members are ready and eager to stand up
for their fellow federal employees. With
federal employee friendly representatives in
power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, 2009
could prove to be one of the most important
Lobby Weeks in years.
“Lobby Week is about
holding our elected officials’ feet to the
fire,” said NFFE National President Richard N.
Brown. “Our members are here to make certain
that Congress follows through on their
commitments to the federal
workforce.”
Once each year, NFFE
members gather for a week of rousing speeches
by key leaders in Congress and labor, to
discuss legislative strategies and spend time
on Capitol Hill lobbying their elected
officials. Over the years, hundreds of NFFE
representatives, from Alaska to Florida and
everywhere in between, have made the trip to
Washington to talk issues face-to-face with
their representatives in
Congress.
Lobby Week is being held
at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol
Hill, and will continue through the morning of
Thursday, May 14.
