New bargaining unit covers more than 1,400 employees at BRAC-consolidated HR center
FORT KNOX, KY – The American Federation of Government Employees is now the exclusive representative for more than 1,400 Army civilian personnel specialists who provide human resources services to soldiers, veterans, retirees and Army families.
Employees at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Ft. Knox, Ky., voted 302-81 in favor of joining AFGE during three weeks of voting that concluded Oct. 26. They will form a new bargaining unit that will represent more than 1,400 employees within the Human Resources Command (HRC), which is the largest public or private HR organization in the world.
“Civilian employees in the Defense Department are vital to ensuring our military is ready to go into battle at a moment’s notice and treated with dignity and respect once they return. These HR employees are a critical link in this process and they deserve all of the workforce rights and protections that union membership provides,” AFGE National President John Gage said.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is scheduled to certify the results of the election Nov. 1.
“We are excited to welcome these dedicated workers into the AFGE family and are eager to begin work on a new contract for them as soon as possible,” AFGE 6th District National Vice President Arnold Scott said.
The employees were transferred to Ft. Knox as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, which recommended consolidating all of the Army’s human resources functions at a new Human Resources Center of Excellence at Ft. Knox. Employees transferred from three other locations where they were also represented by AFGE: Alexandria, Va. (Local 2); Indianapolis, Ind. (Local 1411); and St. Louis, Mo. (Local 900).
Even though the employees already were represented by AFGE, the FLRA required a new election be held to determine if the transferred employees wanted to retain their union representation.
The employees will be part of AFGE Local 2302, which also represents employees in five other bargaining units at Ft. Knox.
“The new HRC bargaining unit will be the largest bargaining unit by far at Ft. Knox,” AFGE 6thDistrict National Representative Arvin Byrd said.
NVP Scott thanked AFGE’s national staff in Washington, D.C., and the AFGE Defense Conference for their help and support during the campaign.
Filed under: AFGE Press Releases, Defense Department Tagged: Army, election, Ft. Knox 
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