{"id":14546,"date":"2020-01-23T16:24:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T16:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/23\/usda-calls-for-more-authority-to-review-expiring-union-contracts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:38:01","slug":"usda-calls-for-more-authority-to-review-expiring-union-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2020\/01\/23\/usda-calls-for-more-authority-to-review-expiring-union-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"USDA calls for more authority to review expiring union contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has asked the Federal Labor Relations Authority to issue a more concrete ruling on collective bargaining agreements that would give agency negotiators more authority to enforce new rules and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under current authority, the head of an agency must sign off on a collective bargaining agreement to show that it falls in line with current rules and regulations, but a new rule or regulation that conflicts with an existing agreement cannot be enforced until that agreement has expired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a collective bargaining agreement would automatically renew after its expiration, the agency head still has the right to sign off and enforce any new rules that were in conflict with the initial agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when an agency requests the renegotiation of a contract<\/a>, provisions in the old contract will often stipulate that the old agreement holds until a new agreement can be reached. In that case, the agency head may not get sign-off, and enforcement of a new rule is postponed until a new agreement is reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\t