The order calls on the federal labor-management council to help create department or agency-level labor-management forums to promote partnership efforts between labor and management in the executive branch.
The forums should allow employees and their union representatives to have pre-decisional involvement in all workplace matters to the fullest extent practicable, without regard to whether those matters are negotiable subjects of bargaining, the order said.
However, the national president of the Federal Managers Association, Darryl Perkinson, cautioned that first and second line managers and supervisors must be included in the agency-level forums for them to be successful.
FMA said similar labor-management partnerships established under the Clinton administration failed on an agency level when front-line managers were not included.
"As those responsible for carrying out the policies of the agency, managers and supervisors bring a unique and vital perspective to the table," Perkinson said, adding, "FMA believes that any forum allowing maximum participation of stakeholders, prior to decisions being made, improves the chances for success exponentially."
The president of the National Treasury Employees Union predicted that the forums would help reduce labor-management disputes including grievances, unfair labor practices and court cases.
"When employees are included at the beginning of the process, with meaningful pre-decisional involvement, both parties take ownership of the issue, making implementation easier," she said.
