Good Afternoon,

Employees who want to meet with a union representative must request what is called "official time". Email your supervisor requesting how much official time you need and when you would like to take it. Your supervisor will need to approve this before you can be released from your duties to meet with the union.

Be sure to include the union on your email. If you meet with the union on your break, there is no need to request official time.

If your supervisor does not approve the request, please let the union know. We can assist you with this request to your supervisor.

Example: 

"I would like to request a half hour of official time to meet with the union today from 2:00pm - 2:30pm."

Section 5. Procedures for Requesting Official Time for Employees

a. When exercising the rights afforded by statute (5 USC 71) and other rights under this Agreement, employees will be granted a reasonable amount of official duty time.

b. An employee desiring to see a Union Representative on official duty time shall notify their supervisor of the date, time and approximate amount of official time they are requesting. The Employee’s supervisor will contact the Union Representative and their supervisor and a tentative meeting time will be set.

c. The employee request for official time will include approximate length of time needed and location. If the employee cannot be released immediately due to work related reasons, the employee will be released as soon as possible, but normally no later than the employee’s next shift after the request. If a delay in releasing an employee involves a situation with contractual time limit, the time limit will be extended equal to the delay.

Employees requesting to meet during non-duty status time have no obligation to request official time from their supervisor when seeking a Union Representative.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask one of us!!