Dear Bargaining Unit Members,
I am pleased to announce that we have finally received the long-awaited decision by the Federal Labor Relations Authority regarding the 2003 Millennium Pay grievance. In its decision, the FLRA dismissed some of the agency's exceptions to the Arbitrator's decision and denied the remaining agency exceptions.
While this decision constitutes a big win for POPA, it does not mean that the Millennium pay fight is necessarily over. Therefore, at tomorrow's Annual Meeting (12 Noon in the Madison Auditorium, probably South side) I have invited POPA's Counsel, Richard Hirn, to speak for a few minutes regarding the future of the case. Seating will be very limited since we only have one-half of the auditorium. We will, however, also be posting additional information on the web site as it becomes available.
I sincerely hope that this decision signals the beginning of the end of a very long and frustrating situation for all the employees affected by the agency's refusal to honor the Millennium Agreement. Please stay tuned for further developments.
Thanks,
Robert D. Budens, President
Patent Office Professional Association