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OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE              LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E.              Washington, DC 20540-1999
_________________________AFSCME Council 26, AFL-CIO,       Petitioner,       Labor Organization             v.                                  Case No. 04-LMR-02                                                  Date: July 23, 2004OFFICE OF THE ARCHITECTOF THE CAPITOL         Respondent.       Employing Office_________________________
Before the Board of Directors: Susan               S. Robfogel, Chair; Barbara L. Camens, Alan V. Friedman; Roberta               L. Holzwarth; Barbara Childs Wallace, Members.

DECISION AND ORDER OF THE               BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON NEGOTIABILITY ISSUES

 I. Introduction

The petition for review comes before the               Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance (“the Board”)               pursuant to § 7105(a)(2)(E) of the Federal Service Labor Management               Relations Statute (“FSLMRS”), as applied by § 220©)(1)               of the Congressional Accountability Act (“CAA”), 2 U.S.C.               § 1351©)(1). Upon careful consideration of the parties’               filings, the Board has determined, for the reasons set forth below,               that two of the contested proposals are non-negotiable and one proposal               is negotiable. Accordingly, we sustain in part and dismiss in part               the Union’s petition for review of negotiability determinations.

 AFSMCE Council 26 is the exclusive bargaining               representative for a unit of employees, including gardeners and               grounds crews, at the employing office’s Botanical Gardens.               AFSCME’s disputed proposals relate to emergency situations,               such as ice and snow, when the employing office calls employees               back to work outside of their normal working hours. 

II. Disputed Assignment of Work Proposals

 3. The work performed in all position descriptions,               except Grounds Team, shall be amended to remove “During inclement               weather, removes snow and ice from sidewalks and steps. Applies               salt, sand and melting agents to clear area and               provide safe conditions.” Replacement language shall be, “This               employee shall not be expected to remove snow and ice from sidewalks.”

 4. The position description of all except Grounds               Team shall include “Shall not be required to work outdoors               during or as a result of adverse weather emergency.”

III. Positions of the Parties

A. Employing Office

 The employing office explained to the union               its intent not to utilize gardeners to perform ice and snow removal               duties. However, there may be emergencies requiring that non-Grounds               Crew personnel, such as the gardeners, be assigned to that duty.               The union’s proposal impermissibly would preclude the employing               office from making such assignments in violation of the employing               office’s statutory right to assign work under the Federal               Labor Management Relations Act. 

B. Union

 The union opposed the employing office’s               original proposal that broader categories of unit personnel be subject               to emergency ice and snow removal duties. Subsequently, the employing               office conducted a briefing for the union acknowledging that certain               groups of employees no longer would be required to remove ice and               snow from outside the buildings. However, when the Union submitted               a bargaining proposal formalizing that position the employing office               declared it to be non-negotiable. 

IV. Analysis and Conclusions

 It is plain that the letter and intent of the               union proposals are to preclude the employing office from assigning               snow and ice removal duties to any category of bargaining unit employee               other than Grounds Crew personnel.

 Section 220 of the Congressional Accountability               Act applies the Management Rights provision of the Federal Labor-Management               Relations Statute, *5 U.S.C. §7106*, which provides               in pertinent part:

§7106. Management Rights 

 (a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section,               nothing in this chapter shall affect the authority of any management               official of any agency-              * * * *              (A) to hire, **assign**, direct, layoff, and retain               employees in the agency, or to suspend, remove, reduce in grade               or pay, or take other disciplinary action against such employees               ; [emphasis supplied].

 (B) to **assign work**, to make               determinations with respect to contracting out, and to determine               the personnel by which agency operations shall be conducted; [emphasis               supplied].              * * * *

 (b) Nothing in this section shall preclude any               agency and any labor organization from negotiating -              * * * *              (2) procedures which management officials of the agency will observe               in exercising any authority under this section; or 

 (3) appropriate arrangements for employees adversely               affected by the exercise of any authority under this section by               such management officials.

 A proposal to subject to collective bargaining               an employing office’s decision to add duties to employees’               position descriptions infringes upon management’s right to               assign work pursuant to *5 U.S.C. §7106(a)&(b). U.S.               Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center, Providence, Rhode               Island and Laborers’ International Union of North America,               Local 1056,*37 FLRA 566 (1990). *See also, NAGE, SEIU, AFL-CIO               and State of Connecticut Adjutant General Office,* 27 FLRA 801               (1987). This is in contrast to the negotiability of proposals for               an agency to bargain over the impact and implementation of its decision               to assign such additional duties to employees. *See, American               Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO,* Local 1999 and               Army-Air Force Exchange Service, Dix-McGuire Exchange, Fort Dix,               New Jersey, *2 FLRA 152 (1979)(Proposal II), enforced as to other               matters sub nom. AFGE v. FLRA,* 455 U.S. 945 (1982).

 The disputed union proposals would only serve               to restrict the employing office’s ability to assign work               while they do not express any purpose or intent to address the impact               and implementation of the employing office’s *fait accompli*               decision to make such assignments. The proposals, therefore, do               not fall under any of the aforementioned qualifications to management’s               reserved right to assign work to its employees. Accordingly, the               employing office’s non-negotiability determination is sustained.1

V. Disputed Compensation Proposals

 8. Employees not working at the time of notification               shall receive fifteen (15) minutes overtime upon receipt of the               notification. Designated essential personnel shall be paid overtime               each time they are required to call in for instructions during non-working               hours in excess of forty (40) hours in one week.

 10. Employees required to report to duty immediately               upon receipt of notification shall be paid overtime from the time               of notification.

VI. Positions of the Parties

A. Employing Office

 The controlling statute, *5 U.S.C. §5542(b)*treats travel time to and from work, with narrow exceptions               not applicable hereto, as being non-compensable. The Federal Labor               Relations Authority has so held. Moreover, responding to employer               telephonic calls at home is compensable only if an employee is performing               work at home. Notification to report to work because of an adverse               weather emergency does not constitute the performance of work and               does not qualify for overtime pay.

B. Union

“In the event an employee is called               to report to work immediately, interrupting his/her time, the employee               should be compensated accordingly.”

              VII. Analysis and Conclusions

 Section 220 of the Congressional Accountability               Act applies *5 U.S.C. §7117(a)(1)* of the FLMRS , which               qualifies the duty to bargain in good faith,*inter alia, to               the extent not inconsistent with any Federal law*. The Pay Administration               and Premium pay provisions of Title V of the U.S. Code apply to               the Office of the Capitol, the Botanical Gardens and their employees               pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §5541(1)(E-F), (2)©).

 The Title V provision for hours of work (*5               U.S.C. §5542(a)*) does not authorize compensation for employees               traveling within the boundaries of their official duty station unless               they are performing functions required by, or conferring benefits               on, the employer, which distinguish the travel from commuting. *U.S.               Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration,               Baltimore, Maryland and American Federation of Government Employees,               Local 1923,* 37 FLRA 1469 (1990); *Louis Mossbaauer v. U.S.A.*541 F.2d 823 (9th Cir. 1976); *Bobo v. United States,*               37 Fed. Cl. 690 (Ct. Cl. 1997).

 Accordingly, the Union proposal to compensate               employees for travel time to work conflicts with*5 U.S.C. §5542(a)*               and, therefore, is not subject to the obligation to negotiate.

 The record is silent on whether any of the affected               bargaining unit employees are covered by the compensation scheme               imposed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Assuming, arguendo,               that the FLSA governs any of the bargaining unit members, their               travel time to work in the situation posited by the Union’s               proposal would still be non-compensable under controlling regulations               promulgated by the United States Office of Personnel Management.               *American Federation of Government Employees, Local 987 and U.S.               Department of the Air Force, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia,*               37 FLRA 197 (1990).

 The parties did not present clarification or               argument on the Union’s proposal that off-duty employees be               awarded 15 minutes overtime pay upon receipt of notification to               report to work and that designated essential personnel be paid each               time they are required to call in for instructions during non-working               hours in excess of forty (40) hours in one week. However, the Federal               Labor Relations Authority has determined to be negotiable a proposal               that employees be compensated for responding to telephone calls               at their homes concerning official business after a normal tour               of duty. *Department of Health and Human Service,* 37 FLRA;               1469, supra. Thus, we find, upon the record before us, the proposal               to be negotiable.

VIII. ORDER

 The Architect shall, upon request, or as otherwise               agreed to by the parties, bargain on the proposal concerning compensating               employees for official telephonic contacts as per Union proposal               no. 8, supra.2  In respect to all other disputed proposals herein,               the petition for review is dismissed.

It is so ordered

 Issued, Washington, D.C. : July 23, 2004

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 I hereby certify that on this 23rd day of July,               2004, I delivered a copy of this Decision of the Board of Directors               to the following parties by the below identified means:

 First-Class Mail Postage-Prepaid              & Facsimile Mail 

 AFSCME Council 26              Mr. J.L. Power, Council Representative              Capital Area Council of Federal Employees              729 15th Street, N.W. 7th Floor              Washington, D.C. 20005

 First-Class Mail Postage-Prepaid,               & Facsimile Mail

 Office of Architect of the Capitol              Margaret P. Cox, Esquire              Tanisha Cole, Esquire              Ford House Building, Room H2-265A              2nd and D Streets, S.W.              Washington, D.C. 20514              Washington, D.C. 20515

              ___________________              Kisha L. Harley              Office of Compliance 

 July 23, 2004

AFSCME Council 26              Mr. J.L. Power, Council Representative              Capital Area Council of Federal Employees              729 15th Street, N.W. 7th Floor              Washington, D.C. 20005

Office of Architect of the Capitol              Margaret P. Cox, Esquire              Tanisha Cole, Esquire              Ford House Building, Room H2-265A              2nd and D Streets, S.W.              Washington, D.C. 20514

Re: AFSCME Council 26, AFL-CIO v. Office of the                             Architect of the Capitol, Case No. 04-LMR-02

Dear Parties:

 Enclosed is the Decision and Order of the Board               of Directors, entered July 23, 2004, in the above styled matter.             

Sincerely,

William W. Thompson II              Executive Director

1This holding is without               prejudice to the union reformulating its proposal to one over impact               and implementation (“I & I”) of the employing office’s               decision to assign work. For an example of where a proposal for               the specification of added duties in position descriptions was found               to be negotiable, and not an abridgement of management’s reserved               right to assign work, see *American Federation of Government               Employees, AFL-CIO,* Local 1999 and Army-Air Force Exchange               Service, Dix-McGuire Exchange, Fort Dix, New Jersey, *2 FLRA               152 (1979)*. If bargaining results and the employing office               alleges that a subsequent union proposal is nonnegotiable, then               the union may file a negotiability appeal regarding that proposal.               *National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 207 and Federal Deposit               Insurance Corporation,* 58 FLRA No. 99, 2003 FLRA LEXIS 36 (2003).

2In finding the proposal to be negotiable, we make               no judgment as to its merits.

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