National Security Personnel System Act

The IBEW recommended Marsha Smith be appointed commissioner to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Ms. Smith is a member of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC), who exhibits the skills, experience and philosophy that would serve working families well on FERC. Enron’s collapse and the western electricity crisis prompted the above mentioned recommendation. (3/10/03 Ltr.) The IBEW opposed changes to the DOD Authorization Bill that would overhaul the workplace rules of civilian employees at the DOD. The bill would strip away already “narrow” collective bargaining rights of union members employed by DOD. Bill Ref. HR 1855/S. 1166; Ltr. 6/6/03 The IBEW opposed an attack on overtime pay on two fronts. 1.) DOL’s proposed administrative change to the treatment of overtime pay, by imposing new rules on how employers may compensate employees who tally more than a 40-hour workweek. This would alter rules governing eligibility for overtime pay now protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Currently employers are required to pay time-and-a-half to workers. IBEW submitted comment opposing DOL’s proposal to cut overtime pay. 2.) IBEW opposed the Family Flexibility Act that offered comp time in lieu of overtime pay, because this type of compensation would invite employer abuse, possibly forcing an employee to take time off involuntarily or limit whether a worker can use the compensatory time at all if it is burdensome to the workload. (HR 1119/S317). The IBEW supported the “Buy American” provisions contained in the House version of the Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2004. We asked support of Section 811-829 that required critical items be produced from American-made sources. We opposed Section 833 in the Senate version that waived the domestic source requirements under U.S. manufacture laws. (Bill references: H.R. 1588/S. 1050).