FORMAL DISCUSSIONS

Supervisors routinely conduct meetings. When those meetings meet the criteria (listed below) of a formal discussion, the union must be given an opportunity to attend. Notice can take the form of a phone call, fax, email, or memorandum. Notice should be provided to the union through the CPAC Labor Relations office as far in advance as possible. If you are not certain your meeting is a formal discussion, call the CPAC Labor Relations Office. The CPAC Labor Relations phone # is 288-2070, x2024, or x2035 and the CPAC fax # is 288-2131.

If you wish, you can email your notice to the directly to the union: cheryl.eliano@us.army.mil with a copy to the CPAC Labor Relations Office:

MEDCOM, DENTAC, and VETCOM: kelly.b.smith@us.army.mil or gayle.d.johnson@us.army.mil
FORSCOM, IMCOM, and OTC: catherine.levandovsky@us.army.mil

Section 7114(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute provides: "An exclusive representative of an appropriate unit in an agency shall be given the opportunity to be represented at any formal discussion between one or more representatives of the agency and one or more employees in the unit or their representatives concerning any grievance or any personnel policy or practices or other general condition of employment."

Elements of a formal discussion:

• There is a discussion
• Which is formal
• Between one or more agency representatives and one or more unit employees or their representatives
• Concerning any grievance or any personnel policy or practice or other general condition of employment

A meeting would not be a formal discussion when:

• The meeting is personal and does not involve matters affection general working conditions of other employees
• The meeting is a job performance discussion