| Vol.
IV, No. 5, November 2004
Union
Wins Restoration of Access to
Web-based E-mail for BLS Employees
On
June 10, 2003, the Management-appointed BLS Security
Council determined that access to Web-based E-mail
accounts from BLS computers constituted a serious threat
to the
security of the BLS computer system. It appears that
the impetus for this decision was a computer virus
that was released onto the BLS network by a manager
accessing
Web-based E-mail and ignoring Management’s own
guidelines for not opening suspicious E-mail attachments.
BLS Management then summarily blocked access to Web-based
E-mail accounts from BLS computers ostensibly to try
to control this virus outbreak, without any discussion
with—or notification to—AFGE Local 12.
Only later that day, reportedly at the behest of higher-level
management, did the Office of Technology and Survey
Processing
(OTSP) see fit to even notify employees that they could
no longer access their Web-based E-mail. A month later,
BLS Management decided to extend this ban on Web-based
E-mail indefinitely and notified Local 12 of this change
in working conditions. Consequently, Local 12 immediately
placed BLS access to Web-based E-mail on the agenda
for the September 2003 Mid-Term negotiations with Management
in order to win return of Web-based E-mail as quickly
as possible.
Access Critical for BLS Employees
Management agreed with Local 12 that access to Web-based
E-mail would benefit both employees and BLS in terms
of employee wellness, blending work and family responsibilities,
education, training, communication with co-workers
while out of the office, and communication with non-BLS
professional
colleagues. These Mid-Term discussions were extremely
successful in generating possible approaches to the
problem. Over the course of October 2003, Local 12’s
Technology Team worked closely with Management to
provide feedback
on a proposal to restore access to your Web-based
E-mail accounts through the use of secure servers.
On November
7, 2003, Management presented a plan to the Union
that would result in restored access to Web-based
E-mail
by June 14, 2004. Although Local 12 was not happy
with the
delay, we felt that Management was working in good
faith to restore Web-based E-mail access as expeditiously
as
possible without compromising network security, and
decided to support this work in good faith by informally
agreeing
to this timeline.
Union Pursues Issue
The Union continued to raise the Web-based E-mail
access issue with Management at Mid-Term negotiations
in December
2003, February 2004, and again in May 2004, as well
as through quarterly briefings with the Local 12
Technology Team. At each of these opportunities,
Local 12 reemphasized
the importance of an expeditious restoration of Web-based
E-mail access. Meanwhile, BLS Management reiterated
that
they shared our desire for a speedy return of Web-based
E-mail access, since this access would benefit managers
as well as members of the Union’s bargaining unit.
Management’s representatives from OTSP, which was
charged with implementing the secure servers using CITRIX
software that would complete this Web-based E-mail access
restoration, also assured us that they were moving as
quickly as possible. The OTSP representatives noted that
this solution satisfied their security concerns, as it
would permit access to E-mail, but not E-mail attachments,
from BLS PCs. Employees would be able to forward any
attachments received over Web-based E-mail to their BLS
accounts, which would allow for these attachments to
be screened by BLS’s anti-virus software, thereby
adequately protecting the BLS network from potential
virus threats from these attachments.
Unfortunately,
OTSP was soon forced to concede that they would be
unable to meet the June 14, 2004 target
date.
Later, OTSP proposed a September date for completion,
which later slipped to November. Although Local
12 was not happy with these additional delays, we
felt
the Management
was working in good faith and decided to informally
accede to these timeline revisions. At a recent
briefing in
mid-August, however, OTSP abrogated a commitment
to any date whatsoever, saying that OTSP did not
know
when the
project would be completed. Consequently, Local
12 invoked its right to enter formal negotiations
with
Management
over the restoration of Web-based E-mail access,
and to finally receive a hard-and-fast commitment
from
Management for the restoration of access to Web-based
E-mail, for
which we have all waited so long. In addition,
Local 12 proposed that if Management truly were unable
in good faith to commit to the completion of this
project
in
a timely fashion, then Management should provide
some interim measures—such as computers with
modem access in the BLS Conference Center.
Agreement Finally Reached
Rather
than consider interim measures, Management made
a binding commitment to restore access to Web-based
E-mail by January 1, 2005 via CITRIX software.
The
results of
these negotiations were formalized in a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU). The negotiations on this
MOU
were
completed on August 25 between the Union team
(Local
12 Secretary Dave Richardson, Dino Drudi, Sean
Price, and Peter Meyer) and the Management team
(BLS labor
relations officer Mike Allen, OTSP’s Steve
Wright, and Kathy Schultz from DOL Labor Relations).
The MOU
became effective
on September 1 following signing by Local 12 Executive
Vice President Alex Bastani (on behalf of President
Larry Drake) and DOL Labor Relations Director Sandra
Keppley
(on behalf of Secretary Elaine Chao).
Local
12 would like to take this opportunity to thank all
of our members who have worked so hard on this issue
for the past year. Although all of them are not
mentioned
here by name, this year-long odyssey has involved
a lot of input and follow-up from many of our Union
representatives
and members. BLS employees have gone a very long
time without access to our Web-based E-mail, but
Local 12
is happy to report that, at long last, restored
access is truly on its way. Without a Union, this
agreement
would not have happened and the wait for access
to Web-based E-mail would have been delayed well
beyond January 1,
2005.
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