NASA Unions (Bargaining Units)
Labor – Management Relations in the Federal Service
Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 is also known as the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute or “the Statute”. The Statute allows certain non-postal federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and to participate through labor organizations of their choice in decisions affecting their working lives. The Statute defines and lists the rights of employees, labor organizations, and agencies to reflect the public-interest demand for the highest standards of employee performance and the efficient accomplishment of government operations.
The Statute strengthened the position of federal unions, declaring that “labor organizations and collective bargaining in the civil service are in the public interest” while carefully preserving the ability of federal managers to maintain “an effective and efficient Government.”
In addition to rights and obligations outlined in Federal law, collective bargaining agreements (CBA) established between the exclusive labor union representing bargaining unit employees and NASA management may also contain rights and obligations between the parties. Also, President Biden’s Executive Order 14003 states that it is the policy of the United States to “encourage union organizing and collective bargaining”. However, not all federal employees are covered by bargaining units or eligible to be represented by a union. Employees should consult with NASA’s human resources office to determine their bargaining unit status. Below is information regarding Unions and their local chapters at NASA.
Unions at NASA
Approximately 53% of NASA’s workforce is in a bargaining unit that is represented by a labor union. The two labor unions representing NASA bargaining unit employees are the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
The IFPTE is a labor union advocating on behalf of more than 90,000 workers in professional, technical, administrative and associated occupations in Canada and the United States. The AFGE is the largest federal employee union representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas.
NASA has negotiated 10 CBAs impacting bargaining unit employees at the locations identified below. Five are with the AFGE and five with the IFPTE.
IFPTE represents the majority of bargaining unit employees at NASA and has exclusive representation of certain employees at:
- Ames Research Center (IFPTE, Local 30)
- Glenn Research Center (The Lewis Engineers and Scientists Association (LESA), IFPTE, Local 28)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (Goddard Engineers, Scientists, & Technicians Association (GESTA), IFPTE Local 29)
- Headquarters (NASA Headquarters Professional Association, IFPTE Local 9), and
- Marshall Space Flight Center (Marshall Engineers and Scientists Association (MESA), IFPTE, Local 27).
At NASA, AFGE has exclusive local representation of certain bargaining unit employees at:
- Goddard Space Flight Center-Wallops Flight Facility (AFGE, Local 1081)
- Johnson Space Center (AFGE, Local 2284)
- Kennedy Space Center (AFGE, Local 513)
- Langley Research Center (AFGE, Local 1923) and
- Marshall Space Flight Center (AFGE, Local 1858)
