IFPTE Applauds President Biden’s Nomination of Nancy Speight for FLRA Member
Union Supports Senate Confirmation of Speight, a Nominee Who Has “a Strong Appreciation and Respect for Federal Workers” and a “Deep Expertise and Understanding of Federal Personnel Policy”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the Senate received nominations for Nancy A. Speight to serve as a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). Ms. Speight currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy and IFPTE fully supports her nomination and swift Senate confirmation. President Biden has nominated her for the term vacated by former FLRA Chairman Ernest DuBester which expires on July 1, 2024, and for reappointment to serve a full five-year term that expires on July 1, 2029. IFPTE executive officers proved the following comments.
IFPTE President Matthew Biggs:
“IFPTE supports President Biden’s nomination of Nancy Speight to serve as a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Ms. Speight, who currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy, has a long and successful career in public service, including as Regional Director of the Atlanta FLRA region from 2001 to 2009. She is not only highly qualified for this position but has a strong appreciation and respect for federal workers and will no doubt hit the ground running at the FLRA.
Right now, the FLRA lacks a full complement of members. That vacancy has created uncertainty as the divided board cannot issue decisions necessary to settle disputes and set policy, cannot support stable federal labor-management relations, and ultimately cannot guarantee federal employees their right to form unions and bargain collectively. Senate confirmation of Ms. Speight for the vacant term that expires next July and for a subsequent full five-year term is an urgent priority for our membership. We at IFPTE urge the Senate to act quickly in confirming her, and Suzanne Summerlin as FLRA General Counsel.”
IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson:
“Throughout Nancy Speight’s distinguished career as a civil servant, she has accumulated a deep expertise and understanding of federal personnel policy and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The absence of a functional FLRA creates immense challenges for federal employees that have disputes and concerns that need to be resolved before the board, including the issues that have arisen from poorly reasoned FLRA decisions made in recent years that sought to radically reinterpret the Statute and strip union rights from federal workers. The President’s commitment to making the federal government a model employer and allowing federal unions and federal agencies to create high-functioning workplaces depends on the FLRA. IFPTE is proud to support Nancy Speight for FLRA Member alongside Suzanne Summerlin for FLRA General Counsel and we’re committed to working with Senate Leadership to confirm these highly qualified nominees as soon as possible.”
The FLRA administers the federal labor-relations law impacting nearly 2.1 million U.S. federal employees worldwide, a million of whom are represented by 2.200 collective bargaining units.
Across the United States and Canada, IFPTE represents 90,000 highly skilled workers in the federal, public, and private sectors. IFPTE is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and the CLC. More information can be found at www.IFPTE.org.
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