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FEA-Stateside Arbitrating Illegal Contract Implementation

FEA-Stateside Region is proceeding to arbitration over management's efforts to illegally and unilaterally impose a new contract on Stateside schools, including its dictate forcing Stateside employees to work extended hours without added compensation in violation of the current valid contract. Read the update from FEA-SR here


Overseas Excess Placement Notices Now Going Out

posted March 20, 2019

Notices of placements for Overseas excessed educators began going out the afternoon of March 20. Educators have within 3 workdays of receipt to respond whether they accept the reassignment, request reconsideration (if they qualify), or retire/resign.


Read FEA's update here

Positive News on PCS Tax

posted March 18, 2019
A bipartisan group of Senators has reintroduced legislation that would provide relief from PCS moving taxes to incoming and retiring/separating federal employees.

Read FEA's update on the reintroduced legislation.

DoDEA Releases Info on RITA/WTA for PCS Taxes

posted March 11, 2019
DoDEA has (FINALLY!) issued guidance to Overseas employees regarding the availability of and procedure to follow in order to claim Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) and/or Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) for taxes on applicable civilian PCS moves. Anyone who PCSed in 2018 is advised to visit DoDEA's Web site and carefully read the guidance from DoDEA (found at the bottom of the linked page) to make sure you take advantage of the resources available to you.
DoDEA Info on PCS and Tax Changes

Good News for Overseas VSIP Applicants

posted March 5, 2019
Acting on information from our members, FEA informed DoDEA Human Resources of errors in the calculation of VSIP offers. As a result, DoDEA has recalculated offers, resulting in increases for over a dozen VSIP applicants. Read FEA's update here

FSIP Sides With Management on Overseas Contract Ground Rules

posted February 22, 2019
In a move that was disappointing but not at all surprising given its clear bias in favor of management, the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) this week imposed ground rules for the bargaining of a new contract for Overseas employees that align almost exactly with those requested by DoDEA.
Read the full update about the ground rules

GOOD NEWS: No Salary Freeze for 2019

FEA and NEA worked together to make sure the recent law funding government operations and ending another shutdown threat would also negate any possibility of a pay freeze in 2019 for Stateside and Overseas members. Read the full update here

DoDEA Withdraws Law Attacking Workers' Rights

In a victory for DoDEA employees and proponents everywhere of workers' rights, DoDEA has announced it is withdrawing a proposed law that would have stripped workers of rights and basis civil service protections under the guise of merging Stateside and Overseas schools into a single system. The law may be reintroduced in the future, however.

Read the full update from FEA on this issue here

DoDEA THREATENS TO IMPOSE DISPUTED STATESIDE CONTRACT

posted February 13, 2019
DoDEA has informed FEA's Stateside Region it intends to unilaterally impose an unsigned contract on the Stateside bargaining unit despite FEA-Stateside challenging a key provision of that contract.
FEA's Stateside Region (FEA-SR) is currently weighing legal options and will provide guidance to members in the near future. Because both sides have not finalized and signed a new Master Labor Agreement (MLA), it remains FEA-SR's position that the old, expiring MLA remains in full force and effect.
Read the full update from FEA-Stateside on this threat

VSIP/VERA AND EXCESSING INFO PAGE

FEA is compiling information on the 2019 VSIP/VERA offering as well as the placement procedures for excessed employees. Visit our VSIP/VERA and Excessing Information Page

Over 300 to be Excessed From DoDEA This Year

VERA/VSIP Are To Be Offered


We were told in a meeting Tuesday that around 370 positions throughout DoDEA will be declared excess this year. Note: after our initial meeting, DoDEA told us the true figure would be slightly more than 300. Roughly 60 of the excessed positions are due to the closing of schools at Seoul. It is not clear how many of the remaining 300+ are due to changes in staffing at the high school level announced last week by DoDEA Director Tom Brady. That announcement said DoDEA would be altering staffing formulas for high school staff. The change is likely to result in larger class sizes, something FEA adamantly opposes.

Staffing documents should now be in the schools and FRSs should be working with their building principals to identity how this impacts current staffing.

DoDEA has received authorization from DOD to offer VERA and VSIP. Specific details on those offerings are expected to come out from DoDEA HQ in the coming days but we were told the amount to be offered for VSIP will be up to a maximum of $40,000.

FEA will inform members as soon as we have more details on the changes in staffing as well as the VSIP/VERA offering. For overseas school, any excessing should be done by the Excess Flow Chart based on MOU's signed by FEA and DoDDS.

DODEA PLAN TO INCREASE SECONDARY CLASS SIZES IS HARMFUL TO STUDENT LEARNING

posted January 4, 2019
DoDEA Director Tom Brady has informed employees he intends to implement unspecified increases in Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) that would result in increases to secondary school class sizes -- a move FEA denounces as harmful to student learning and unnecessary, given the hundreds of wasteful administrative positions within DoDEA that should be cut before any changes to PTR are even considered.

Read FEA's full update on management's announcement.

FSIP FAVORS MANAGEMENT IN RULING ON STATESIDE MLA

posted December 18, 2018
The Federal Services Impasses Panel has issued its ruling on disputed issues in the negotiation of a new Master Labor Agreement for FEA Stateside bargaining unit members. As was expected, the FSIP sided heavily with management in its ruling. Get details on the ruling and FEA-Stateside's reaction here

#December 2018 FEA Journal
December 2018 Journal Now Online

FSIP To Impose Ground Rules For Bargaining Of Overseas Contract; Decision on Stateside Contract Imminent; Profiles of All Candidates for FEA At-Large Officer Elections and Complete Election Info; Results of FEA's ELA Survey; More inside.
Read the December FEA Journal in PDF format





FEA AT-LARGE OFFICER CANDIDATES

The candidates for the following FEA At-Large offices, to be elected by Association members during balloting in January, February and March, 2019, can be found at the FEA Election Information Page:
  • FEA President

  • Vice President/Secretary-Treasurer

  • Human & Civil Rights State Coordinator

  • NEA Director

Ballots will be mailed January 17, 2019, to all FEA Active Members. The deadline for the RECEIPT of ballots is March 26, 2019.

Update on Taxable Moving Allowances

posted October 25, 2018
FEA continues to advocate for relief from taxes on moving allowances for retirees and new employees, even as DFAS begins issuing information to employees regarding their 2018 tax liabilities and opportunities for reimbursement for some employees.
Read the update from FEA here.

Government Appeals Executive Order Ruling

posted October 3, 2018

The federal government recently filed an appeal of a judge's decision that struck down most parts of three anti-worker, anti-union Executive Orders issued earlier this year by the Trump White House. Those Executive Orders seek to limit union representation and bargaining rights and to make it easier to fire federal employees. In August, a federal judge ruled most provisions of the Executive Orders to be improper because they infringed upon existing labor laws passed by Congress. The government's appeal of the ruling is not a surprise and the outcome of this appeal is likely to eventually head to the Supreme Court. This appeals process is expected to carry over into 2019.


Get details about the judge's ruling here



FEA MEMBERS:
DODEA HEADING IN WRONG DIRECTION

A recent online survey of FEA members revealed that, by a huge margin, Association members feel that DoDEA as a whole is heading in the wrong direction. See the survey results here.





Hatch Act Information

Visit this page to learn more about the Hatch Act and find examples of activities allowed and prohibited under the law.
Hatch Act Do's and Don'ts

FEA HCR Newsletter and other HCR Info

View the latest issue of The Advocate, the monthly newsletter of FEA's Human and Civil Rights Program, and find other resources by clicking here.

FEA Social Media

FEA members (and anyone else) can follow FEA on Facebook and Twitter. We remind members these are public forums and should not be used to solicit or share legal advice. Members should always begin the process of seeking legal advice and services by contacting their local association representative and not share or reveal any personal information, particularly information pertaining to legal situations, on any public forum or social media site.

As always, we encourage our members to use these resources courteously and professionally.

Follow FEA on Twitter (#fededassoc)

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CALL ATTENTION TO PAY PROBLEMS

IMPORTANT -- Do not download or forward this information while on government time or while using government equipment. Also, do not forward this information to any government email account, such as DoDEA Outlook mail.
Under guidance from the FEA Board of Directors, FEA Europe General Counsel/UniServ Bill Freeman has developed a letter writing campaign, aimed at bringing the numerous pay and collection issues DoDEA employees face to the attention of Congress and Pentagon leaders. Please use the link below to access information from Bill Freeman and share your stories/concerns with the decision makers suggested by Bill. Please avoid doing so, however, while on government property, while using government owned computer equipment, or while on government time.

Click here to learn more about writing decision makers in an effort to raise awareness of pay problems




Teaching Channel: Videos that Inspire Teaching

The Teaching Channel website offers a growing library of short videos to inspire K-12 teaching. These video lessons - in English language arts, math, science, and history/social sciences - include lesson objectives, questions to consider, homework ideas, and more.

Free registration provides access to:

See the Welcome to Teaching Channel video.

Updates for our Members

Read the FEA President's Report and link to other updates for FEA members here.


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