AFGE Local 1858 has been granted exclusive representation of the AMCOM Contracting Center.
The former Acquisition Center was realigned last October, so the union asked to continue as its representative by filing a petition to the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Atlanta.
On June 18, the authority certified the union as representative of all the center's non-professional employees and temporary non-professional employees with appointments of more than 90 days.
"It means that we are going to continue to be able to represent those employees without interruption, which is good for them," AFGE Local 1858 president Don Eiermann said.
The union will now approach the center leaders to determine whether they want proceed under the existing AMCOM contract or pursue a new contract of their own. Eiermann said he doubts they would want a separate agreement since the working conditions are so similar.
"The only thing that's basically changed is the name (AMCOM Contracting Center)," he said. "They're still doing the same work. The work has not changed. Their mission goals have not changed."
Charles Farrior, director of business management at the AMCOM Contracting Center, said the 530-employee center began reporting to the Army Contracting Command in October. That newly-formed command in turn reports directly to the Army Materiel Command.
"The contracting center's relationship to AMCOM is similar to AMRDEC and the PEOs," Farrior said. "We report through a separate chain of command (Army Contracting Command), but still support all AMCOM, PEO and Redstone Garrison contracting requirements. The center's move to the ACC was seamless and transparent to many on the Arsenal. In many cases we had to notify customers of the transfer and establishment of the new command."
The union represents about 9,600 federal employees worldwide in 19 bargaining units, including members of the Aviation and Missile Command.
"Of course I'm relieved that we'll be representing the (AMCOM Contracting Center) employees," Eiermann said of the latest certification of representative. "I was hopeful that they would have kept the AMCOM Contracting Center as part of the AMCOM bargaining unit rather than giving them their own independent unit because it makes it easier when you're performing representation. But as such we now have 19 or so bargaining units and a majority of those have their own separate contracts."
The American Federation of Government Employees Local 1858 celebrated its 50th anniversary last October. Executive board members include Eiermann, assistant president Art Murtha, executive vice president Debra Wester, secretary Dana Henslee, treasurer Joyce Marion, sergeant-at-arms David Clemons, fair practices coordinator Abner Merriweather, Commissary vice president Georgia Kimbrough, AMRDEC professional vice president Alexander Roach, AMCOM non-professional vice president Henry Earl Smith, AMCOM professional vice president (a vacant position), SMDC professional vice president Frank Bowles, SMDC non-professional vice president Theodora Stewart, LOGSA vice president Donald Hunnicutt, Corps of Engineers professional development support vice president Hugh Lacy, Garrison non-professional vice president Dean Allen, DISA vice president Palmer Milton-Walker and MEDDAC vice president Patricia Johnson.
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