HHS employees picketed during lunchtime Oct. 25 to reignite contract talks after the agency declared an impasse in July, FCW reported.
Agency negotiators declared an impasse in July after two days of collective bargaining and have not engaged in discussions since. HHS deferred to the Federal Service Impasse Panel to decide next steps at a Nov. 14 meeting, according to the report.
Members of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 14,000 HHS employees, told FCW the original negotiations spanned two days, but lasted no more than an hour and a half. A press release from the union says HHS made a final offer and then "abandoned negotiations."
Members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote a letter Oct. 11 to HHS Secretary Alex Azar urging him to re-engage in talks with the employee union. The letter called the brief negotiations "irregular and disturbing." Mr. Azar did not respond to the letter himself, and union members have been redirected to the bargaining team, according to FCW.
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