In the past 5 years, serving as your president we have made tremendous strides in negotiations with the agency as well as the AFGE. Below you will see some of the highlights of our tenure together.
I have been with FEMA since 2011 when I started as a Staff Assistant/Collateral Duty Safety Official at the Distribution Center (warehouse) located in Fort Worth Texas.
I have served as the Vice President of Local 4060 from 2014 until 2016 and have served as President of AFGE Local 4060 from July 2016 till the Present.
Some Key accomplishments since becoming Vice President and President.
- 2019-Spoke on the Hill during the Furlough to encourage Law Makers to reopen the Government and get us back to work and get us paid.
- 2020-Worked with Lawmakers, The Agency and served on the AFGE COVID 19 response committee, ensuring safe working conditions for our employees.
- Strengthened relationships between our Local and the District and National offices of the AFGE, working through numerous constitutional and by law legal issues.
- Served as the Chair for Council 56 working closely with the Trustee of AFGE National Derek Willingham.
- While serving as Vice President and President Steve has led the largest recruitment in AFGE District 14 history of 150 new dues paying members.
- Personally negotiated numerous agency policies and procedures ensuring the members of local 4060 were fairly represented during policy implementation.
- Steve has personally Arbitrated 6 cases for members and has 4 pending cases and recommended 15 Arbitrations other Arbitrations for members of Local 4060, filed over 40 grievances.
- Steve was instrumental in the outsourcing and procurement of Local 4060’s on Law Firm, the Pines Law Group.
If you elect me as a President Local 4060 I will pursue and continue to pursue the following goals:
- Continue Building the Union membership so we can strengthen our bargaining position with management.
- Continue to utilize the leverage of the local for members, i.e.…Dues should be spent in litigation, arbitration, negotiation and training.
- Training and Certification for all stewards and Executive board members in the grievance, arbitration, litigation process.
- Certification in grievance appeals in the U.S. Merit System Protection Board (MSPB)
- Continue the Education of all bargaining members on their rights and how to protect themselves as well as others through the CBA and solidarity.
- Continue to Work with management to strengthen our working relationship, bargaining in good faith and encouraging the Agency to do the same
- Continue to change the agreement through negotiation, arbitration and litigation to be more inclusive protecting Employee Rights
- Continue to Work to organize the CORE and DAE employees
- To Update the Constitution and by-laws of Local 4060 to become more current and inclusive better protecting our members
- Finalize our Union Page on the FEMA home page.
- Appoint more Union Officers, Steward Drive, Social Media Officer, Organizing Officer, etc. to better represent our membership
I am frequently described as a Labor/Union hardliner, I own it readily. I believe in the power of our democracy and believe we make the best decisions when as many of us as possible are included in the decision-making process. I believe in employee rights and that a happy employee is the best employee, that we cannot stand by while our fellow employee is mistreated or abused.
I find it totally unacceptable that FEMA continually finds itself one of the worst places to work in the Federal government and that working as a Union local 4060 can truly make our jobs a better place to work. This includes ensuring that employees are managed by competent, caring, effective managers who realize the benefits of working with organized employees.
If you choose to support me in my run as your president, I will continue to tirelessly work to serve our members and our local to the fullest extent of my knowledge, contacts, and negotiations.
Thank you all for your consideration and I look forward to our continued journey together, becoming stronger, more active, and more effective as a union.
Yours in Solidarity,
Steven J. Reaves
President AFGE National Local 4060
FEMA’s Union