For the first time since January 7, 2017 (yes, you read that correctly, 2017) the 3-person Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has a full quorum. On March 4, 2022, nominees Raymond Limon and Tristan Leavitt were each confirmed by the United States Senate. The board members will each serve 7-year staggered terms. Both Limon and Leavitt were supported by NTEU; we are looking forward to their service of resolving the nearly 3,400 cases that have been backlogged.
You may be wondering what the MSPB does or why it is important in the lives of agency employees. The Board was created in 1979 in reorganization efforts to replace the Civil Service Commission. This act replaced the Civil Service Commission with three new independent agencies: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which manages the Federal work force; Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), which oversees Federal labor-management relations; and, Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which promotes an effective Federal workforce free of prohibited personnel practices. MSPB assumes the appeals function that was once part of the Civil Service Commission, adjudicating cases filed by employees against government agencies that were not appealed to arbitration through the NTEU-IRS National Agreement.
NTEU is thankful that the MSPB is once again at a full quorum. The multiyear delay has caused employee issues to sit stagnant waiting on resolution. At the time of Limon and Leavitt being appointed, there were approximately 3,600 cases waiting to be decided. This means that well over 3,000 employees were awaiting decisions that greatly impact their livelihood. We anxiously await as the backlog of cases are addressed and our members get the resolutions which they deserve.
Alex Walker