Conditions of Employment

Conditions of employment are personnel policies, practices or matters that affect the working conditions of employees. Personnel policies can range from leave policies, dress codes, merit promotion policies, discipline procedures, etc. This includes written rules for managing employees. Personnel practices are often unwritten rules such as swapping weekend overtime assignments, employees’ use of coffee mess, length of lunch periods, or anything that that has become a “past practice” if followed consistently for a long period of time, with the knowledge and acceptance of union and management. Other conditions of the employees’ work environment include things such as lights, air-conditioning, parking, safety, cafeteria, etc.

• Conditions of employment do not include policies, practices, and matters
  • relating to political activities prohibited under civil service law,
  • relating to classification of positions, or
  • specifically provided for by Federal statute.
• Changes to working conditions are subject to union notification/bargaining obligations. Conditions of employment may impact one bargaining unit employee or a large group of bargaining unit employees; nevertheless labor obligations must be adhered to and unions must be notified when there will be changes to conditions of employment. The duty to bargain is limited to negotiable conditions of employment of bargaining unit employees and when the changes are not otherwise inconsistent with law or applicable rule or regulation.