The Four Winds Member News
A Message from NWSEO President Werner January 1, 2021
Dear NWSEO brothers and sisters,
As we take a moment to reflect on this past year, truly a year of disbelief, I’ve considered our top milestones in 2020.
NWSEO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS
This has been a record year for contract negotiations. First, the NESDIS Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was ratified by the NESDIS union members and signed by the parties. This is a big accomplishment for Chairman Hugh Sharkey, Aaron Savage, Jake Cherrix, Stan Abney, Zach Dornhagen and Arla Tillman.
Next, the contracts for the NOAA Attorneys Guild (NAG), Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) were opened for renegotiation.
Last, the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) took jurisdiction over the NWS contract negotiations and adjudicated the 29 contract articles in dispute. The NWS contract ratification vote on the imposed contract was conducted electronically, with the NWS NWSEO members overwhelmingly rejecting the contract by a vote of 91% to 9%.
Read the full article within the link below.
Release for NWS Employees
Agreement Reached On New Collective Bargaining Agreement
Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that NWS and NWSEO have reached an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Should these terms be ratified by the Union’s membership and approved on Agency Head Review in the coming weeks, we will have a CBA that better serves the needs of our workforce and the agency. We launched this effort more than 5 years ago. Though negotiations were strained at times, and resulted in an impasse at one point, both sides remained committed to the need to reach agreement on a new CBA that better serves the needs of the agency and our employees. To that end, we re-engaged over the past year and refocused our negotiations in earnest over the past three months to reach agreement. The next steps are editorial review, NWSEO ratification and Agency Head Review. We will make the new contract available to all employees once it is implemented, and we’ll work together to develop communications to walk you through the new CBA and answer your questions. Congratulations and thanks to all who have worked diligently and in collaboration over the past year to effectively negotiate a CBA we can all be proud of; one that will help us become a stronger, smarter agency as we work together to build a more Weather-Ready Nation. Our joint goal in implementing this new CBA is to ensure that we honor, protect and maintain the highly skilled and dedicated NWS workforce, which is the key to our collective success. - Mary and John |
February 19, 2021
NWSEO National Convention News
45th Annual NWSEO National Convention Wrap-up
(October 30, 2020) The NWSEO National Convention was a successful virtual one-day session. With over 100 NWSEO members present, NWSEO President John Werner and NWSEO Executive Vice President JoAnn Becker facilitated and led the group through various informative sessions, reports, and new business.
Richard Hirn provided informative General Council and Legislative reports and answered many questions from members. Executive Vice President JoAnn Becker led and promoted the Political Action Committee (PAC) fund drive, where NWSEO members: Robert Ruehl, Mark Pellerito, Kimberly Vaughan, and Evan Bookbinder shared their personal testimonies about why they contribute to the NWSEO PAC.
NWS Deputy Director Mary Erickson spoke to NWSEO members about the vision of the NWS and diversity. Dr. Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction performing the duties of Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere also addressed the Convention and highlighted his commitment and gratitude to the employees as well as explaining the NOAA efforts to address sexual harassment and assault issues. Dr. Jacobs also discussed his vision for improving computing and processing across NOAA.
Read the full article within the link below.
Media Relations
Welcome to the NWSEO Media Center
The goal of NWSEO Media Relations is to assist you with your media needs and provide answers to questions you may have. Here you will find press releases, weather images, and an archive of NWSEO news articles. If you need to interview an expert source on national or local level or would like someone to talk to your group regarding weather, this is the place to find weather specialists.
If you need additional information, please contact NWSEO Communications at mediarelations@nwseo.org or call 202-907-3036.
Learn why others have joined NWSEO and benefited from the work of our professional organization.
"Member Spotlights" and "Membership Matters" articles are
included in this section.
Why I Joined NWSEO - Member Testimonials
NWSEO Four Winds Member News, Convention & Media Relations Archives
Labor Management Forum
The Department of Commerce Labor Management Forum
National Academy of Public Administration Report for the NWS and U.S. Congress
(May 13, 2013) The National Academy of Public Administration published its report for the National Weather Service and U.S. Congress on its website today. Follow this link to view the full report and Project Results.
