The parties were advised that if no settlement were reached, the representative would report to the Panel on the status of the impasse, including the parties' final offers and his recommendations for resolving the matter. After considering this information, the Panel would take whatever action it deemed appropriate to resolve the impasse, including the issuance of a binding decision. There are approximately 30 non-professional General Schedule and Wage Grade employees in the bargaining unit who hold positions such as laboratory technician, quality assurance specialist, facilities management specialist, animal caretaker, environmental protection specialist, and safety specialist. The parties' CBA, which was to have expired in September 1996, has been rolled over annually, and continues in effect until a successor is implemented.
Plum Island is located off the eastern point of Long Island, New York.
The Employer furnishes the transportation from both locations. For the return trip home, however, employees are not compensated for travel time on the ferries. The practice of paying employees only for one-way travel to Plum Island became part of agency regulations in 1965. The parties disagree whether employees should be in a pay status while returning from Plum Island on Government-furnished vessels. In this regard, the Employer's mission requirements, as mandated by Congress, restrict employees to the premises.