Peace Corps Employees Union AFSCME Local 3548

Priority for Both Parties: Identities

Why does this matter? That’s probably a given, but it’s heartening to see both Management and the Union agreeing that employees should be identified by how they want to be identified.

What can you do? You can probably guess that this wasn’t a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement back in the 80s. Want to ensure protections exist for all employees? Consider joining the CBA Union Negotiations Team!

Demographics Info

What’s tracked? It’s interesting to learn what can and cannot be shared with Union leaders. The Union is not privy to agency demographic data on race and ethnicity, gender, and age.

Why is this concerning? It’s a matter of transparency and one we hope Peace Corps may consider offering again. “Again”, you ask? Not too long ago, we had a diversity dashboard to track Peace Corps’ success in recruiting Volunteers and staff from diverse backgrounds. Staff shortages placed the dashboard project on hold.

Your Employee Personal Page (EPP)

What this means: It’s always a good idea to become familiar with your Employee Personal Page (EPP) to make sure the data is reflected accurately, including information related to how you identify.

The impact: While you’re visiting your EPP, make sure dates and leave categories are accurately captured as well. This can impact your retirement and leave balances.

Union Benefit: Save Up to 35% When You Rent a Car

If you need a car for your next trip (maybe something you have planned for the summer) your AFSCME (or Union) card, can save you money at six car rental companies.

We invite you to join the Peace Corps Union and learn about the benefits of becoming a member:

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CBA Negotiations Update

5/8/2023

Revisited: Details for Union Representatives

Why does this matter? Management may need to detail an employee to a special assignment. If that employee is a union representative and is involved in an ongoing representational activity, then there are steps all parties need to comply with to ensure representation in the open case continues.

What does this mean for you? In our review of union rights, we’re making sure additional consideration is given to employees who take on added responsibilities as union representatives while ensuring employee representation continues as well.

NEO: Union Presentation

What do you remember? We’re taking a closer look at the New Employee Orientation (NEO) and want to ask new employees what was your biggest takeaway from the Union presentation at NEO? Please send your responses to union@peacecorps.gov

Why is this important: We thought this would be a good time to do a check-in with bargaining unit employees and their impression of the Union presentation at NEO.

Resource Hub for Federal Laws: Cornell Law

How did this come up? Lots has changed since the late 80s when the CBA was last updated, including how we conduct research. To read federal laws that were once only available to legal counsel, simply type in the law reference number in a browser.

Results: Most “.gov” sites are solid sources, but so is Cornell Law, which is a legal repository for federal statutes.

Union Member Benefit: 30% off Bouquets for Mother’s Day

AFSCME Perk: An online flower shop is offering discounts in time for Mother’s Day. A “Full of Love” bouquet that’s normally $45, is available for dues paying members for $31.50. Union membership has many perks and returns, please consider joining today!

We invite you to join the Peace Corps Union and learn about the benefits of becoming a member:

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Meet the New Executive Board and Fall Updates

11/2/2021

Meet the new Executive Board

Thanks to all who participated in our recent election! To learn more about the members of our new Executive Board and Steward Team, visit the Our Team page on the website.
President: Genevieve Locksley Vice President: Mike Black
Secretary: Ashley Acosta-Fox Treasurer: Joshua Castro
Events Coordinator: Josephine McGugan Membership Coordinator: Sakeena Ali
Chief Steward: Mathew Crichton

Union Volunteer Day/End of Year Leave

To encourage Bargaining Unit Members to take advantage of the 52 hours of leave available through the Employee Volunteer Program, we hosted 28 members for our first Volunteer Day on 10/19! Volunteers distributed food, transcribed documents for the Smithsonian and Library of Congress, and captioned educational video content.

Reminder: Make sure to check your annual leave accrual, because any annual leave in excess of 240 hours will be lost at the end of the year.

While we encourage all employees to take the time off that they have earned, if you have excess leave that will be lost, you can show solidarity towards your fellow workers by donating a few hours through the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program.

JLMC Meeting Notes

The Joint Labor Management Committee convened on 10/5 for our quarterly meeting. These meetings provide an opportunity for the union to raise concerns and improve communication with HR and agency leadership. We discussed issues around:

merit selection,
whistleblower protection and protected union activities,
delayed promotions,
telework and other policies.

We welcome your input for future topics to cover in these quarterly meetings.
Past JLMC meeting notes

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Advocating For a Fair Telework Policy + New Stewards

7/27/2021

Advocating For a Fair Telework Policy

We here at the Union hope you are all enjoying your summer! As Peace Corps enters Phase 2 of Peace Corps Everlasting and begins to prepare for a new normal, one of our top priorities as a Union and as an organization must be to ensure a flexible and fair telework policy for all. So many of us have gone above and beyond with our work during the pandemic – and we simply cannot just go back to the way things were before.

Our recent telework survey led to a number of recommendations regarding the future of telework, which we have presented to management – you can review them here (also attached).

We look forward to continuing to represent your voices in this important conversation. If you want to share your views with us, please reach out.

New Union Stewards

Over the past few weeks, the Union has added a number of new stewards to its ranks. Stewards represent and advocate for you as a member of the bargaining unit, and are your first point of contact for any concerns you have regarding your rights or your treatment on the job. The newest stewards are:

Ryan Haefke
Ryan Stannard
Joshua Castro
Sakeena Ali
Josephine Pacheco

Stay tuned, as in the coming weeks we’ll be assigning stewards to each office to be your personal point of contact. Feel free to reach out to the new stewards or to the rest of the union team with any questions or issues.

Joint Labor-Management Committee Meetin

The Union Executive Board meets with the organization’s OHR leadership quarterly to discuss issues relevant to Peace Corps employees. We were joined by Chief of Staff Dave Noble at the last meeting. The minutes from the latest JLMC meeting on 6/29 are here.

Topics covered include:

Telework policy updates & survey results
Return to office planning
Notification process for department/office restructuring

Visit From Council 20

Samantha Reisher, organizer for Council 20 (our DC-area parent union) joined us at our union office hours on 7/8 to discuss ways she and Council 20 can support our efforts to advocate for employees here at Peace Corps. You can review the notes from our conversation here.

Union Weekly Lunch Meetings

The Union holds weekly lunch meetings on Tuesdays over Zoom. Want to attend?

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Join Us & Get Involved!

6/29/2021

Good afternoon, bargaining-unit employees! We’re coming to you after this afternoon’s quarterly meeting with HR leadership – which we spent advocating for safety and transparency as the organization plans our return to the office, as well as for your right to telework flexibility based on the results of the recent survey so many of you completed.

All of us who are involved with the union’s work have full-time jobs here at Peace Corps – we are recruiters, placement officers, IT staff, administrative specialists, and so much more – and our strength as a union is directly tied to the participation of our members. Which is why we want to take this opportunity to invite you to join us in our efforts to ensure that all Peace Corps employees receive fair treatment and to make our voices heard!

How can you get involved?

Volunteer your time and energy by attending our weekly meetings, joining our working groups, and helping plan events.
Step up and become a dues-paying member, providing support for the advocacy and organization work done by our regional council and AFSCME international (our parent union), as well as funding the activities of our local union here at Peace Corps.
Become a union steward to represent and advocate for your fellow Peace Corps employees.*
Serve in a union executive board role after elections this September.*

*Dues-paying status is required to serve in union positions per the union constitution

Want to learn more, or have questions we can answer?

Feel free to drop into our weekly Zoom office hours each Thursday at 12:00pm ET to talk with active union members (calendar invite attached).
Or come attend our weekly meetings on Zoom each Tuesday at 12:00pm ET – new agenda items are always welcome (calendar invite attached)!
Are you ready to jump in? Or would you prefer to email us your questions? Reach out to our inbox here.

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Your Right to Representation

4/20/2021

Hi all! We wanted to build on the message Employee-Labor Relations helpfully emailed to us all on 4/1, and remind everyone that you have a right to have union representation at any interview or meeting that you believe could lead to disciplinary action against you.

You can always reach out to the Union and we will have a steward get in touch with you as soon as possible.

We’ve included a useful Weingarten reference here – feel free to save or print it out!

Joint Labor-Management Committee Meeting

The Union Executive Board meets with the organization’s OHR leadership quarterly to discuss issues relevant to Peace Corps employees. The minutes from the latest JLMC meeting on 4/12 are here.

Topics covered include:

Telework policy updates
Domestic deployment of PCVs, and the participation of Peace Corps staff
Facilitated discussions and letters of counseling for resolving worker-manager issues

May Day Event

Join the Union for an informal lunch event in honor of May Day and in celebration of the 8 hour workday. We will take a guided tour through the history and current practice of Unions and Labor Laws in the US and some of our Peace Corps Countries.
Save the date: April 30 from 12-1pm Eastern Time. Invitation to follow.

Union Weekly Lunch Meetings

The Union holds weekly lunch meetings on Tuesdays over Zoom. Want to attend?

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A Union Win + Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine

3/16/2021

Union Win for Placement Office

As we pass the one-year mark since the global evacuation of Peace Corps Volunteers, we also keep in mind all of the amazing work Peace Corps employees have been doing from their homes during this time.

Recently, we were able to support the placement team in ensuring they had the technology resources they need to do their jobs from home. The Union raised employee concerns with management, and as a result all placement team members will be receiving organization-provided cell phones to facilitate their work.

If we might be able to help advocate for you or your colleagues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at union@peacecorps.gov.

Administrative Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination

As noted in HR’s March 2021 email sent out on 3/11, you are eligible to request administrative leave to get vaccinated during working hours:
Peace Corps U.S. Direct Hire employees can use up to four hours of administrative leave per dose – for a total of eight hours of administrative leave for two Covid-19 vaccinations.
Note that advance approval is required. You should reach out to HR or your supervisor with any specific questions you might have.

Women’s History Month Union Event Serie

Every Monday in March, the Union has been hosting a powerful series of webinars focused on women in leadership, particularly in a Union context. The final event will take place next Monday, 3/22 at 12:00pm EST. If you don’t already have the invitation or if you have any questions, reach out to us. Bring a friend to the discussion!

Union Weekly Lunch Meetings

The Union holds weekly lunch meetings on Tuesdays over Zoom. Want to attend?

Contact The Union

Concerned your rights may have been violated or have a question about what your rights are? Reach out to a Union steward at the below link, or join us during our Thursday office hours (12:00-1:00pm EST)!

Dues-Paying Member

Want to become a dues-paying Union member? Fill out the form linked below!

Join Us

Please ensure your Union activities take place during non-duty hours, such as before or after work or during lunch.
See Article 6 and 22 in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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Annual Review Feedback + Help Wanted

2/16/2021

End-of-Year Review Feedback

Hello Peace Corps Union members! As the annual employee appraisal process wraps up, we want to hear your thoughts so we can better advocate for everyone in our conversations with HR. Please take this anonymous 1 question survey to let the Union know if you are satisfied with the current annual review process.

Do you have specific questions or concerns regarding your own annual review that you want to discuss with a union representative? Please contact us at union@peacecorps.gov or drop by our Thursday office hours between 12-1pm EST.

Help Wanted

The Union has been working towards improvements and standardization in order to better serve you. We are looking for interested members who can spare 1-2 hours a week (possibly less) to help working groups on: events/training, recruitment, democratization, improving our constitution, and other relevant issues. Most working groups should be complete within 1-3 months, with a possibility for extension based on need.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact union@peacecorps.gov with subject line “Working Group – Help Wanted”.

Women’s History Month Union Event Series

Every Monday in March join us at 12:00pm EST for our Union Women Webinar series. We will be focused on getting women involved in Unions by viewing a weekly webinar series put on by AFSCME followed by discussions on the various topics:

Inclusive Activism as Leadership
Political Activism as Leadership
The History of AFSCME Women in Action
How can PC Union attract more Women

Keep an eye out for invites coming to your inbox shortly. If you are a dues paying member and view the first three webinars (in their entirety) you can gain an AFSCME Women's Leadership Academy certificate.

Union Weekly Lunch Meetings

The Union holds weekly lunch meetings on Tuesdays over Zoom. Want to attend?

Contact The Union

Dues-Paying Member

Want to become a dues-paying Union member? Fill out the form linked below!

Join Us

Please ensure your Union activities take place during non-duty hours, such as before or after work or during lunch. See Article 6 and 22 in the CBA.

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Annual Review Guidance + College Scholarships

1/14/2021

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. marching with AFSCME union sanitation workers in Memphis, April 1968

End-of-Year Reviews

Hello Peace Corps Union members! As we all go through the annual review process, please keep in mind that you have rights regarding your appraisal, which are listed in Article 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

In particular, take a look at Section C – per our CBA, appraising performance is an ongoing process, so any performance deficiencies noted in the year-end review should not be a surprise – you should have received feedback in advance.

Additionally, you can review the section on performance appraisals in the Peace Corps Manual issued by OHR here.

If you have questions about the review process or are concerned your rights may have been violated, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Union for support.

Union Benefit

AFSCME, the international parent union that our union is part of, offers a number of benefits to dues-paying union members, including:

College scholarships (for union members & their families)
Free training and professional development
And more

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might have. You can sign up to become a dues-paying member here.

Joint Labor-Management Committee Meeting

COVID-19 return to the office updates
Conflict resolution between employees and their supervisors
The upcoming administration transition
Online resources for employees

See Attachment

Union Weekly Lunch Meetings

The Union holds weekly lunch meetings on Tuesdays over Zoom. Want to attend?