Union files unfair labor practice charge against EPA

A union representing thousands of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees has filed an unfair labor practices charge against the agency, formally accusing it of violating employee rights. In the charge, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union says that Associate Deputy Administrator Douglas Benevento “falsely disparaged and threatened the union and employees” in May and that Administrator Andrew Wheeler made false statements about bargaining in July during meetings with regional staff. AFGE said that Benevento implied the EPA was unwilling to deal with the union because it shared agency communication with the media “despite the fact that such activity is protected by law.” The charge further stated that Wheeler falsely claimed that during contract negotiations, the union refused telework flexibility because it wanted more benefits for its leadership...In a statement to The Hill, the EPA said that its “offer of increased telework flexibility during negotiations in return for AFGE’s agreement on Official Time and the Negotiated Grievance Procedure is very well documented.” “Additionally, after Doug Benevento spoke with AFGE leadership on April 22, EPA received press inquiry almost immediately afterwards asking for comment on the matters in that briefing. When contacted by the Federal Labor Relations Authority, EPA will provide all requested documentation to FLRA and will comply with their investigation,” an EPA spokesperson said...MORE