16th District Leaders, (feel free to share)
As many of you are aware, many government employees received an email from an OPM email address today (February 22, 2025) instructing them to provide five (5) bullet points outlining what they accomplished last week and to copy their manager.
Obviously, if the email is legitimate, there are many issues with such an instruction coming from OPM. The most obvious is that in most cases, OPM is not the employing agency. Most of our units are employed by various DoD or other agencies, not OPM. Nonetheless, OPM appears to be attempting to assign work. This, of course, could be construed as a change in working conditions as presently, in most cases employees are not required to provide such information/documentation of their work. Clearly, proper notification and an opportunity to bargain such a change as defined in each bargaining unit's collective bargaining agreement should have been given to each bargaining unit. As such, the situation is ripe for Unfair Labor Practice Charges with the Federal Labor Relations Authority if supervisors or managers instruct bargaining unit members to comply with the email from OPM.
I am aware that some bases/commands are aware of the email from OPM and have provided some guidance to employees and bargaining unit members. Bargaining unit members should follow any guidance received from their command or employing agency.
I suggest that bargaining unit members only respond to the OPM email AFTER THEY RECEIVE GUIDANCE from their supervisor/manager directing them to do so. They should forward the email they received from OPM to their immediate supervisor and copy their Fire Chief (here is some suggested language):
Chief XXX (CC: Fire Chief)
I received the attached/forwarded email. Do you know if this email message is legitimate? If so, and this is an assignment that I need to comply with, please let me know what time period during the next duty day, during regular working hours, this task is to be completed.
If bargaining unit members are instructed by their supervisors or managers to comply with the mail, they should do so.
I imagine some supervisors or managers may direct employees to comply with the email. I will provide some draft Unfair Labor Practice charge language that locals can use to file a charge with the FLRA should a local decide to file a charge with the FLRA.
James B. Johnson
16th District Vice President
Federal Fire Fighters
