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MSPB

NELA Urges Senate Leader Schumer to Bring MSPB Vacancy Nominations to Senate Floor

Dear Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell:
The undersigned civil society organizations urge you to allow the full Senate to consider and vote on pending nominations to all three vacancies on the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which serves millions of federal employees as the primary adjudicative agency for worker claims of whistleblower retaliation and other prohibited personnel practices.

While this letter does not take a position for or against specific Board nominations, we are united in our advocacy of whistleblower protections as a crucial safeguard against waste, fraud, and misconduct in government. That is why we are alarmed by the fact that since January 2017, the Board has been unable to perform critical functions and responsibilities due to the unfilled vacancies preventing a statutorily-required quorum of Senate-confirmed Members. These Board responsibilities include providing relief to whistleblowers, issuing final rulings, promulgating new regulations to address changes in the law, and overseeing U.S. Office of Personnel Management rules and activities. As a result, government whistleblowers waiting for Board review of their retaliation claims remain in limbo while the largest-ever backlog of more than 3,500 cases continues to grow.

We urge you to go beyond these abstract descriptions to consider the devastating impact … Read More

NELA Supports Nomination of Cathy Harris to Chair the Merit Systems Protection Board

Director of Office of Presidential Personnel
The White House

On behalf of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), and our 4,000 circuit, state, and local affiliate members across the country, we write to express our strongest possible recommendation that Cathy Harris be nominated to fill the vacancy of the position of Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board–the independent federal agency that protects federal employee workers from any abuses within the merit system.

NELA is the largest professional membership organization in the country comprised of lawyers who represent workers in labor, employment, and civil rights disputes. Founded in 1985, NELA advances employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace. Our members litigate daily in every federal district and circuit, and in the administrative courts, affording NELA a unique perspective on how employment cases actually play out on the ground and an accurate understanding of the profound impact of the courts on the daily lives and the rights of working people.

NELA offers its full and enthusiastic support to Cathy Harris for the position of Chair of the United States Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Ms. Harris is an experienced practitioner in the niche … Read More

NELA Amicus Brief: Abernathy v. Dept. of the Army (MSPB)

On February 8, 2016, NELA filed an amicus brief in Abernathy v. Department of the Army, MSPB Docket No. DC-1221-14-0364-W-1, pending before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).  NELA’s amicus brief was filed in response to the MSPB’s invitation for public amicus participation, published in the Federal Register at 81 Fed. Reg. 2,913-2,914 (January 19, 2016).

In its Federal Register notice, the MSPB had requested public input concerning whether both the protected activity and the reprisal had to occur while the victim was an employee or applicant for WPA coverage to apply. The MSPB also sought comments comparing the WPA’s coverage to coverage under USERRA, and whether or not WPA coverage of federal contractors would negatively impact coverage under certain other federal contractor whistleblower protection statutes.

The amicus brief was drafted by Alan R. Kabat of Bernabei & Kabat (Washington, DC); Andrew J. Perlmutter of Passman & Kaplan (Washington, DC); Kathryn S. Piscitelli of Kathryn S. Piscitelli, Attorney at Law (Orlando, FL) and Richard R. Renner of Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch (Washington, DC). Matthew C. Koski, NELA Program Director (Oakland, CA), provided a detailed review of the draft amicus brief, which was also reviewed by Susan E. Jewell of … Read More

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NELA Amicus Brief: Day v. Department of Homeland Security (MSPB)

On February 28, 2013, NELA filed an amicus brief urging the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to give retroactive effect to provisions of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA) in Day v. Dept. of Homeland Security, MSPB Docket No. DC-1221-12-0528-W-1. At issue in this case was whether provisions of the WPEA which clarified the definition of protected whistleblowing applied retroactively to Mr. Day’s July 2010 disclosures. Section 101 of the WPEA reversed prior decisions by the MSPB and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in particular, Huffman v. Office of Personnel Management, 263 F.3d 1341 (Fed.Cir. 2001)) to exclude disclosures made to an employee’s supervisor and disclosures made by employees within the scope of their normal duties from whistleblower reprisal protection. The issue for Mr. Day was whether the WPEA definition applied to his July 2010 disclosures, or if the pre-WPEA Huffman standard applied. If the Huffman standard applies, Mr. Day’s whistleblower reprisal claim could likely be dismissed; if Section 101 of the WPEA applies, Mr. Day’s claim could then proceed to hearing. An MSPB Administrative Judge applied the Huffman standard, but certified the case for interlocutory appeal to the MSPB on the question of … Read More

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