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BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
REGION XI WEEKLY ROUND-UP January 6, 2013
"Usually when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, we eliminate that which we need the most- quiet, reflective
time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what's working and what's not, so that we can make changes for the better."
Sarah Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
Hello Region XI!
As we ring in 2013, undoubtedly many of you are reflecting on what you have
accomplished over the last year and setting your goals for the new year. For my
part, I can tell you that this first year of serving as your Region XI Council President
has truly brought me into contact with the government's best and brightest. I am
humbled by the magnificent work that you do as public servants, ranging from
serving as contracting officers over major defense contracts for our DOD component
agencies as our country winds down one war and continues to wage another to the
other end of the spectrum such as managing multi-million dollar budgets for
important international humanitarian programs such as USAID's Food For Peace
program. I have seen firsthand that the work that you do really does save lives every
day and I am proud to call you my friends and colleagues. And, please know that I
do not take lightly the trust that you have put in me to lead our collective efforts to organize around and act
upon issues of mutual concern.
Like you, I have used this time of year to reflect. In addition to my own personal achievements and newly set
goals, I have reflected upon the accomplishments of our Region XI Council. And, as it is my duty, I have put pen
to paper to catalogue it here for you. Like I was when writing it and rewriting it, reading it and rereading it, I
hope you will be so very proud of what we have accomplished together, from our direct advocacy efforts to our
training efforts, and from our programs to further enlighten us about our history to giving back to the
communities within which we live.
That said, it is my distinct pleasure to present to you our Region XI Council’s 2012 Activities and
Accomplishments Report, included here in the attached link. I hope you will really take the time to read it
because I believe you will see that together we have served this organization and this mission proud. And, after
you have read the report yourself, please don't just keep it to yourself, but share it. Let's all use it as an
opportunity to introduce ourselves to some and remind others, like our agency officials, of all the work we do in
furtherance of equal treatment for all and better delivery of government services to the American public.
Best Regards,
Shirley A. Jones, Esq. RXIC PRESIDENT
Outstanding Member of the Week! Outstanding Chapter of the Week!
Myria Carpenter Catalyst Chapter
BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
Notice of January Region XI Council Meeting
and Alternate NOAA Meeting Location
January 12, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Please note, due to a conflict in schedule at NOAA, our Council meeting will be held at the alternate NOAA
location which is just a few doors down from our regular meeting location. The address is 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, conference room 4527. The building, with a statue of a hand out front, is
located adjacent to the Silver Spring metro and adjacent to the public parking lots that are free on weekends.
Importantly, please, please, please, bring your government identification for ease of entry into the building.
As we kick off our 2013 Council meetings, we look forward to enhancing our delivery of BIG mission-related
services while reducing the amount of meeting time. While we have a very full agenda, including the January
installation of officers, approval of the 2013 operating budget, and other important matters, we stand
determined to respect your time while still honoring our commitment to you. We look forward to seeing you
all there.
BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
“Ask the Lawyer”
By, Neil A.G. McPhie, Esq.
Q. What can I do if I have a bully for a boss? A. Federal employees have many options for dealing with bullying bosses. One
option may be filing a hostile work environment complaint with your agency’s
Equal Employment Opportunity office. For this type of complaint, the employee
would have to be a member of a protected class and show that he or she was
subjected to harassment based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age,
or disability. This harassment must have had adverse affects on the
complainant’s terms of employment or created a hostile, offensive, or
intimidating work environment.
It is important to remember that just because a supervisor is intimidating toward
a black or female employee does not necessarily mean he or she is engaging in
unlawful discriminatory conduct. Some supervisors are just hard as nails. For
example, the case of Shelly A. Cohen v. Dep’t of Defense Education Activity (2010) involved a transportation
assistant who filed an EEO complaint accusing her team leader of discriminating against her on the basis of her sex.
She did not specifically point to any harassing acts based on her sex and instead she noted she was subjected to
“bullying,” such as “his impatience with her asking questions, his removing work from her, his refusal to train her,
and his leaning over her and watching her work.” Finding that the team leader treated male employees the same
way, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that although his conduct toward subordinates may
have been abusive, it did not qualify as unlawful discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
If the EEO option is not available, a federal employee could blow the whistle on the supervisor’s bullying tactics. So
long as these tactics result in intimidation, they could constitute an abuse of authority, and disclosures about such
misconduct are generally protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act. As the MSPB noted in Pasley v. Dep’t of
the Treasury (2008), “[a] supervisor’s use of his influence to denigrate other staff members in an abusive manner
and to threaten the careers of other staff members with whom he disagrees constitutes an abuse of authority.”
Additionally, given that many agencies’ workplace violence policies prohibit intimidation, bullying could also qualify
as a violation of a rule or regulation, which is also covered by the WPA.
Federal employees tired of their supervisor’s bullying should consult with an attorney to explore whether they
should file an EEO complaint or a whistleblower disclosure with their agency’s inspector general, the Office of
Special Counsel, a management official outside the employee’s chain of command, or to the individual appointed by
the agency’s head to receive such disclosures.
Neil McPhie is the Virginia Managing Partner for Tully Rinckey PLLC and the former chairman of the U.S. Merit Systems
Protection Board. He concentrates his practice in federal sector employment and labor law and can be reached at
[email protected]. To schedule a meeting with an attorney call 703-525-4700.
BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
August 23 - August 30, 2014
Aloha Everyone!!!!
The FMS-BIG Chapter is sponsoring a Hawaiian Cruise in 2014. Please join us for a week full of adventure, fun in the
sun, and relaxation. View the attached flyer for details on our affordable payment plan.
Thanks for Thinking BIG!!!!
Donna M. Harper Fundraising Chair
FMS-BIG Chapter
Please send inputs for the weekly announcements to [email protected]. If it is not sent to this address, it will not be posted! Please share this with others in your chapter! Thank you for all you do in Blacks In Government!
Billy Hill RXI Membership Chair
BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
Inauguration Ball - Moving Forward Saturday, January 19, 2012
*** Inauguration Ball Flyer! ***
George Washington Carver Chapter Presents
GWCC Moving Forward in 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
*** GWCC Celebration Flyer! ***
BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT
FBI Cyber Special Agents and Cyber Intelligence Analysts: https://www.fbijobs.gov/index.asp or here
DHS (via ORISE) Undergraduate and Graduate Internship Announcement: www.orau.gov/dhseducation/internships
HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Legislative Initiatives and Outreach: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/332739700
Do you have a career opportunity to share? Email
[email protected] for inclusion in the Region XI weekly newsletter!
