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DHS HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS GLOSSARY
ABSENCE WITHOUTLEAVE (AWOL)
Absence without prior approval, and therefore without pay, that maybe a basis for disciplinary action.
ACROSS-THE-BOARDINCREASE
An equal flat rate (dollars and cents) or percentage increase insalary given to every eligible employee. Also known as a generalincrease.
ADMINISTRATIVEPROCEDURE ACT(APA)
The Administrative Procedure Act is a statute that establishes rulesand standards for Federal administrative agencies that engage inrulemaking and adjudications. It also sets requirements for allFederal agencies that issue and enforce regulations.
ADVERSE ACTION
This term is generally used to refer to certain personnel actionswhich under current law, cannot be taken without first providing dueprocess procedures. In most cases such actions are taken basedon misconduct or unacceptable performance. Examples of suchactions are: suspension without pay, reduction in grade or pay, andremoval.
AGENCY HEADREVIEW
Requirement that collective bargaining agreements be reviewed forlegal sufficiency by the head of the agency. This must beaccomplished within 30 days from the date the agreement isexecuted.
AGENCY SHOP
Requirement that all employees in a bargaining unit pay dues orfees to the union to defray the costs of providing representation.
AGREEMENT,NEGOTIATED
An agreement between union and management that can take manyforms, e.g., contracts, term or collective bargaining agreements,midterm agreements, memoranda of understanding, supplementalagreements, oral agreements, side agreements, and past practices.
ALTERNATIVEDISPUTE RESOLUTION(ADR)
A term applied to a varied array of techniques for resolving disputeswithout formal litigation. ADR can be as simple as a settlementagreement negotiated directly between the two parties, or asinvolved as binding arbitration. There are many other approaches,including: mediation; neutral factfinding; facilitated problem solving;ombudsman investigation; and interest based negotiation, amongothers. Most techniques stress cooperative examination ofunderlying facts, issues, and interests, and avoidance of rigidadversarial positions.
APPROPRIATE UNIT
As determined by the FLRA, a unit is appropriate when it will ensurea clear and identifiable community of interest among employees inthe unit and will promote effective dealings with the agency andefficiency of agency operations.
 
ARBITRATOR/ARBITRATION
An arbitrator is an impartial third party to whom union andmanagement agree to refer their disputes for binding resolution.Arbitration is the process used to resolve labor-managementdisputes through referral of the matter to an impartial third party(arbitrator).
AWARD
Something given (e.g., cash or a certificate) or an action taken (e.g.,granting time off with pay or holding a ceremony) to provide anincentive or recognition for individual or group achievements thatcontribute to meeting organizational goals or improving theefficiency, effectiveness, or economy of the Government.Examples of specific types of awards include: honorary award,informal recognition, time off award, performance award, special actor service award, on-the-spot award, group incentive, suggestionaward, referral bonus, and travel savings incentive.
BARGAININGUNIT/UNIT
A grouping of employees that a union represents or seeks torepresent that is found to be appropriate for collective bargainingpurposes. The FLRA oversees representation elections anddetermines the appropriateness of units.
BASE PAY
The basic cash compensation that an employer pays for the workperformed, typically expressed as an annual salary. Also referred toas basic pay, which generally means an employee’s regular andrecurring base pay excluding irregular payments such as overtimepay. In some contexts, “basic pay” has different definitions fordifferent purposes. When pay is used as the basis for computinganother payment or benefit, it is basic pay for that purpose.
BROADBANDING
A salary structure divided into fewer, broader pay ranges thantraditional grades. Also commonly called Paybanding.
BYPASS
When management deals directly with unit employees rather thanwith the union regarding negotiable conditions of employment. Abypass is an unfair labor practice.
CHAPTER 71
The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute(FSLMRS) found at 5 USC § 7101 - 7135 which governs Federalsector labor-management relations.
CLASSIFICATION
A hierarchical structure of jobs, usually arranged into classes or paygrades according to some form of job evaluation. Also the termgenerally used to describe the Federal Government’s job evaluationsystem.
COLLECTIVEBARGAINING/NEGOTIATING
The process of offer and counteroffer between union andmanagement whereby the parties attempt to reach agreement overconditions of employment affecting the bargaining unit. Thisprocess may include the execution of a written documentrepresenting the terms of agreement reached between union andmanagement.
 
COMPELLING NEED
A requirement that a discretionary agency regulation that doesn'tinvolve the exercise of a management right must meet in order tobe a valid limitation on the scope of bargaining.
COMPENSATION
Generally, all forms of financial returns and services employeesreceive as part of an employment relationship. Historically the termincluded benefits such as insurance and retirement income planslike annuities. More commonly today, practitioners refer to benefitsdesign and administration separately and use “compensation” todenote only the various forms of pay, including equity pay, theemployer may offer as part of a broader strategic or total rewardsdesign.
CONDITIONS OFEMPLOYMENT
Personnel policies, practices, and matters, whether established byrule, regulation, or otherwise [e.g., by custom or practice], affectingworking conditions. Exclusions include matters that are specificallyprovided for by Federal statute.
CONFIDENTIALEMPLOYEE
An employee who acts in a confidential capacity with respect to anindividual who formulates or effectuates management policies in thefield of labor-management relations. Confidential employees areexcluded from bargaining units.
DUES/ALLOTMENTS/SERVICE FEES/REPRESENTATIONFEES
Monies that unit employees pay to unions for services. Agenciesprovide dues withholding services for unions free of charge viapayroll deduction.
DUTY OF FAIRREPRESENTATION
The responsibility of a labor organization to represent the interestsof all employees in the unit without discrimination and withoutregard to labor organization membership.
DUTY TO BARGAIN
Generally, this refers to both (1) the circumstances under whichthere is a duty to engage in bargaining; and (2) the negotiability ofspecific proposals.
ELECTION/REPRESENTATIONELECTION
Secret ballot elections supervised or conducted by the FLRA todetermine whether employees in an appropriate unit shall have aunion as their exclusive representative. The FLRA will accordexclusive recognition to a labor organization if it has been selectedas the representative by a majority of the employees in anappropriate unit who have cast valid ballots.
EMPLOYMENT COSTINDEX(ECI)
A number of statistical measures published quarterly by the Bureauof Labor Statistics to measure changes in specified non-Federalcompensation. ECIs for different quarters are used to adjust theGeneral Schedule and the Executive Schedule.
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