STATE REFUSES TO GO FORWARD WITH ARBITRATION ON THE IMPACT OF UNIVERSIAL SPACE STANDARDS (USS) OR THE NEW WORK RULES
Universal Space Standards - (USS). Although they coined the terminology, the State has formally notified the Union that it would not allow the Arbitrator to determine the validity of its USS and the accompanying changes, claiming that none of its program affected conditions of employment of our working members. So to avoid another employer walk-out on an important arbitration, the Union has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the SOA requesting the Alaska Labor Relations Agency (“ALRA”) order the State to the bargaining table on the impact of USS on the terms and conditions of employment of our members.
More than a thousand members responded to ASEA’s worksite meeting questionnaire as to the impact on working conditions. At least fifty (50) members sent separate emails detailing adverse impacts they were witnessing. This information was summarized and representative responses were included in ASEA’s complaint to ALRA to show the following impacts:
1. Caste system created; 2. Confidentiality and privacy non-existent; 3. Legal liability exposed due to HIPAA, financial, personnel and other restricted records being visible to visitors, interviewees, clientele and co-workers; 4. Health (Physical) due to greater exposure to flu, etc. with open seating, cleanliness of common use facilities such as group refrigerator and food preparation area; 5. Health (mental) due to stress from noise, distractions, impact on members who are introverts; 6. Noise levels increased; 7. ADA accommodations ignored with narrower aisles affecting wheel-chair usage, crammed space for heavier members; no SAD lighting; etc.; 8. Lack of adequate work space to do many jobs (map and drawing tables, sample examination equipment, no storage, no bookcases, no large spaces; 9. Lack of trust from the public who are served by GGU Members; 10. Restrooms (fewer per capita); 11. Parking (not considered); 12. Safety during evacuations, fire and earthquake; 13. Costs (perfectly good partitions, desks, electronic equipment destroyed).
Many of you brought other issues forward to go along with those mentioned above, all of which affect your work. Please continue to send your observations and experiences to the ASEA website here: http://afscmelocal52.org/index.php/component/rsform/form/6-workspace-survey. All your concerns assist in presenting your case to ALRA: USS do affect the terms and conditions of your work.
In 1964, Justice Stewart of the United States Supreme Court wrote “the conditions of a person’s employment are most obviously the various physical dimensions of his working environment.” Twenty years later the federal judiciary continued to follow the directive of Justice Stewart when the appellate court for the District of Columbia confirmed:
Furthermore, we note that the contested proposals involve matters at the very heart of the traditional meaning of “conditions of employment”; few policies and practices could be considered more central to an employee's working conditions than those relating to job safety and office environment.
Your Union has petitioned the ALRA to consider these and other federal labor law cases in framing its decision. Until then the arbitration has been postponed pending the ALRA decision. We will periodically post the status of the Unfair Labor Practice complaint that is now in ALRA’s hands. ASEA website: http://afscmelocal52.org/index.php/news/5-class-action-grievance-filed-over-space-standards.