NTEU Defends Employee Bargaining Rights in Court

NTEU was in court on Thursday challenging a 2-1 decision by the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), seeking to limit the scope of bargaining in the federal sector. In September 2020, the FLRA issued a decision that eliminated the statutory right to union-initiated midterm bargaining. The decision also makes it easier for agencies to limit or eliminate such midterm bargaining unilaterally. Midterm bargaining allows unions to address new issues that arise while a collective bargaining agreement is in effect. In its case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, NTEU argued that the FLRA failed to justify either of its anti-union rulings.