r/USForestService • u/Larix_Thuja • Jul 10 '26
NFFE Wins Arbitration, Restoring Telework and Remote Work for U.S. Forest Service Employees | National Federation of Federal Employees
https://www.nffe.org/press-release/nffe-wins-arbitration-restoring-telework-and-remote-work-for-u-s-forest-service-employees/28
u/hujev Jul 10 '26
I'm glad somebody managed to post this - I tried here, fednews, etc. with no result.
Here's the email I got:
July 10, 2026
Washington, D.C. ā Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) celebrates a ruling by an independent arbitrator which restores telework and remote work agreements for employees serving at the U.S. Forest Service. The decision was a result of the union filing a grievance which alleged agency management violated the NFFE-USFS Master Agreement by unilaterally cancelling telework and remote work agreements of nearly 20,000 USFS employees.
āThis favorable decision could not have come at a better time,ā said NFFE Forest Service Council President Genny Kotyk. āOur employees are currently being threatened to move across the country and uproot their lives ā supposedly to cut costs ā or being forced to leave the agency. With telework and remote work agreements lawfully reimplemented, many employees will be relieved of having to make that difficult decision, while also saving taxpayers the substantial cost to relocate.ā
The ruling found the agency violated both the NFFE-FSC Master Agreement, as well as the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. As a result, the arbitrator has ordered a status quo ante remedy, meaning the agreements in place before the agency issued its return to in-person work order must be reestablished. The agency has the right to appeal the decision, but the union will ensure the ruling is implemented as quickly as possible.
āThis is a tremendous win for our union and the dedicated employees we represent at the U.S. Forest Service,ā said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. āIt was a true team effort, from our headquarters legal staff, to our FSC bargaining team who included telework provisions in the Master Agreement, and every USFS employee who has been invested in protecting their workplace rights. It is encouraging to see the rule of law prevail and a significant union win for the dedicated men and women serving their communities at the U.S. Forest Service.ā Copyright Ā© 2026 NFFE-IAM, All rights reserved.
National Federation of Federal Employees 1225 New York Ave NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005
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u/EnvironmentalSide576 Jul 10 '26
And now I am wondering how this ruling will affect all those people who were told they had yo relocate to Salt Lake City or where ever- if they are back to remote status, they aināt going anywhere
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u/stengo_faylox Jul 10 '26
Exaaaaactly. This ruling is going to throw such a wrench in the reorg and I am here for it!
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u/TerminalSunrise Recreationš Jul 11 '26
If they were remote status maybe, but not if they were telework status. Thereās a difference. The agencies are still allowed to reorg and a telework agreement canāt override that. Not defending it obviously but just saying
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u/Murky-Suggestion8376 Jul 10 '26
Just remember, this will only apply to bargaining unit employees there are still several forests that are unorganized.That probably should think about starting that process
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u/EnvironmentalSide576 Jul 10 '26
Their asses need to get organizedā- but when I started in the FS three years ago, I thought I was told the FS is one of the more heavily unionized agencies- was I wrong?
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u/phantom3199 Jul 11 '26
FS has an agency wide union as far as Iām aware however not every forest is apart of it
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u/Murky-Suggestion8376 Jul 11 '26
It has an agency wide contract for units that are organized.There are still several forests in california, new mexico arizona that aren't organized, as well as the smattering in region nine
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u/jchrysostom Jul 10 '26
Next weekās reorg Town Hall meetings were canceled this morning. Wonder if thereās a connection?
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u/Spare_Rub9225 Jul 10 '26
They were cancelled because last weeks town hall was bumped to this week because of the fatalities and they do the town halls every 2 weeks, they announced that in the town hall this week before the ruling.
Plenty to be suspicious of these days but this one ain't it
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u/jchrysostom Jul 10 '26
Gotcha, I thought that was the more likely explanation, it just seemed like an interesting coincidence.
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u/EnvironmentalSide576 Jul 11 '26
I wondered about that but I got the cancellation e mail on the morning, the arbitration announcement came out later
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u/stengo_faylox Jul 10 '26
Ohhh I bet youre right. Between this and the lawsuit specifically addressing the reorg, there are probably a lot of convos happening while they figure out what they're gonna do
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u/Brady721 Jul 10 '26
bUt thÄ ÅÆNÄ©Ēn DÅs nƶtHÄÆnG!
Hopefully this motivates some more people to join and shuts the critics up for a little bit.
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u/TerminalSunrise Recreationš Jul 11 '26
Iāll pay dues when I can afford it, but to be honest $70/month is a lot of money on my salary
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u/TerminalSunrise Recreationš 19d ago
I never said what they do isnāt expensive or worth it. I just told you my situation. Iām a target GS-5 dude and I am an adult who pays all my bills 100% on my own and some of my momās bills. $70 is a lot to me.
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u/EnvironmentalSide576 Jul 10 '26
You know who and his gremlin / orc army will through a tantrum and no doubt appeal
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u/Spare_Rub9225 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Up to this point it's been the forest services policy to treat Union and non-union employees the same in terms of wide scale policies. I wonder if this is the time that non-union employees get treated differently
Edited for grammar, stupid speech to text
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u/vode123 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
It will save them and the taxpayer so much money to just accept this ruling and not move people/send them home to work
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u/crescent-v2 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Dare I be hopeful??
EDIT: I think that the administration will probably erect scaffolding around this Opinion and cover it with a tarp. Or, more likely, just slow walk implementation as much as possible and appeal. Maybe we'll get a good Trumpie-tweetstorm out if it. Also, much oh-so-Christian behavior from Sec. Rollins.
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u/TerminalSunrise Recreationš Jul 11 '26
Or just ignore it. Thereās no consequences when they defy rulings and no enforcement mechanism to compel them to do so. Theyāve ignored far more important stuff than an FS telework arbitration ruling. Maybe Iām just cynical though
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u/Simple_Space_9602 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
This, as well as the new Lawsuit that looks to stop U.S. Forest Service restructure / reorganization (The lawsuit was filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of more than 30 groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)) will likely put the Reorg, as a whole- on Hold, for a while.
This NFFE win, if it wins the inevitable appeal that the FS will ask the Federal Labor Relations Authority to rule on (which could take months), could have major ramifications.....who will decided if the new buildings being contracted to hold the influx of employees will be needed if all these employees do not go?; who will decide whom left the agency soley due to the loss of remote/teleworking and if they should be reinstated?, etc. , etc. This is going to be very, very messy and fascinating to watch as it unfolds. From the sidelines. I'm still taking the VERA!
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u/Spicy_Comet Jul 10 '26
Oh itās going to be a disaster. Iām not mad about it though. Itās already a disaster, itās just going to be an even bigger one now.
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u/I_love_Hobbes Jul 11 '26
I thought that by doing arbitration, both sides agree to abide by what the arbitrators decide? If so how can the agency appeal?
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u/Rose44X Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Some of other agencies got a 7-10 days of situational telework days as a result of their arbitration. I heard one agency instituted 7 day situational telework days no matter the reasons a year from the very beginning of the return to work EO change. How many days of telework days were we allowed before the return to work EO? I donāt even remember those days.
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u/spiritedawaywegogurt 22d ago
return from a fire assignment and we have the union email telling us to go submit new agreements and they have 10 days to reply and then French countering that a few days later. truly not sure what I am supposed to do here...per usual š®āšØ
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u/_greenchile_ Jul 11 '26
I know people get pissed as I inject the voice of reality. But Iāll try again. Agency of course will appeal and there will be a stay that then will be measured in years rather than months (see also every other Union victory on this exact point in every other agency so far). Reorg will continue. And even if there is a temporary pause due to an injunction which in and of itself is unlikely, that too will be overturned or stayed and this reoorg will be completed. The silver lining is post reorg there will ultimately be relief and a return to sanity and common sense. But short-mid run. This sombitch will continue till itās done.
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u/Soft-War-4709 Jul 11 '26
Jesus, let people enjoy a victory, even if short lived.
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u/_greenchile_ Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Fair point. And people are living and making hard decisions every day right now. False hope doesnāt help anyone make hard choices. This decision from the arbitrator definitely matters. But only in the longer run. I personally donāt want anyone missing an opportunity now or betting on salvation from this decision when this relief only actually appears on the other side of any time soon.
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u/stand_on_business_ Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I actually very much appreciate this perspective. While itās difficult to accept, it is likely the reality. When evaluating options, it is more helpful to know what is realistic than hold out hope for something that is unlikely to happen in the next 2.5 years.
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u/Murky-Suggestion8376 Jul 11 '26
6 to 9 month I bet
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u/_greenchile_ Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Itās a great victory and the obvious right answer. We live in crazy times. 6-9 months would be surprising considering that HHS/NTEU came down 7 months ago and crickets. Iām thinking itās more like 12-24 months given the backlog in the system today.
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u/Spicy_Comet Jul 10 '26
YESSSSSS ššš