05/08/07

 

 

Dear Local President:

 

It is my pleasure to introduce myself to all of the USCIS local union presidents, officers, and bargaining unit members. In February 2007, I was elected to the AFGE CIS Council 119 as the Fair Practices Coordinator. It is a great honor for me to serve my fellow USCIS employees in this capacity. My background as an Immigration Asylum Officer, attorney, mediator, and former state prosecutor has provided me with a unique range of skills to utilize in the service of USCIS employees. I look forward to vigorously advocating on the behalf of USCIS employees during my tenure on the council.  The last 10 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for everyone on Council 119. We have already met numerous challenges and achieved positive results. I have a tremendous amount of faith in the skills and commitment of my colleagues on the council and I have high hopes for future success in our endeavors.

As you may already know, Director Gonzalez and AFGE President John Gage recently signed an agreement as an expression of intent to improve labor relations. Council 119 has recently completed 2 full days of Article 10 briefings with management on key areas of concern. One of those areas of concern involved the various problems, projects, and changes taking place with the Office for Equal Opportunity and Inclusion.  Article 45 of the Labor Management Agreement 2000 (CBA) stipulates that EEO committees will be formed at headquarters and in each district. During the Article 10 meetings, I conferred with representatives from the EEO office and secured a commitment by management to work with these committees so that regular input on EEO issues can be shared. The committees are intended to be advisory and consultative in nature. It is my hope that the committees will serve to funnel local and national EEO workforce issues to appropriate union and management officials for quick and fair resolutions. Article 45 A. (2) of the CBA states that the district committees will be composed of “Management representatives, at least one Union representative per local, and the Special Emphasis Program Managers.”

 

As your Fair Practices Coordinator, I would like to extend a cooperative hand with regard to these committees. Please contact me if your local or district already has a committee in place or if your local does not have a committee and would like assistance in organizing one.  If your local or district has an organized EEO Committee, I ask that you share your successes and concerns with me so that I may have a deeper understanding of all of the issues and concerns related to EEO that arise throughout USCIS. My contact information can be found on the AFGE Council 119 web site http://ncisc119.net .

 

It is my intention to continuously work at securing commitments from management to resolve issues of concern related to equal employment opportunity. Thank you for your support.


Sincerely,


Daniel Bell
Fair Practices Coordinator
AFGE USCIS Council 119