Evening star., 1961-12-05

EOttOWtHS 60 tHC tCLt W
the letter BY the Presidents
Task Force on Employee
Management Relations in
Government summarizing IT'S
recommendations for deal
ing betWeen agencies and
employe unions.
Dear Mr.. President:
In accordance with the in
structions OF your memoran-
dunn Of June 90, 1861 l am
transmitting herewith the re-
port Of the Presidents Task
Force on Employe Manage
ment Relations in the FEEDER
al Service.
The principal recommen-
dation which we wish to make
to you may be seen from the
title Of our report: "A Policy
for Employee Management Co.
operation in the Federal Serv-
ice"
At the present time, the
Federal Government has no
Presidential policy on employee
management relations. or at
least no policy beyond the
barest Acknowledgement that
such relations ought to exist.
Lacking guidance, the various
agencies of the Government
have proceeded on widely vary
ing courses. Some have eStab-
lished extensive relations with
employe organizations; most
have done little; a number
have done nothing. The Task
Force is firmly of the opinion
that in large areas of the Gov
ernment we are yet to take
advantage of this means of
enlisting the creative energies
of Government workers in the
formulation and implementa-
ton Of policies that shape the
conditions Of their work.
This situation has attracted
Increasing interest from the
Congress, from Federal Of
ficials, from scholars in the
field Of public administration
and from public spirited groups
such as the National Civil
Service League. The Task
Force has received much as
SiStance from these sources in
our study of existing practices
within the Government, and in
our consideration of policies
for the future.
AS was to be expected. we
enjoyed the full cooperation
of the many employe organiza-
tions, but we would like to re-
mark upon the mature and
reasoned quality of that CO.
operation. The employe organ
izations of the Federal Gov
ernment are not strangers in
our midst. Some Of the largest
date back to the 10th Century.
Altogether they have enlisted
some 80 per cent of Federal
employees; for decades they
have maintained themselves as 4
nationwide. stable, responsible
organizations.
The Task Force believes the
time has come to establish a
governmentwide Pre- idential
policy which acknowledges the
legitimate role which these or.
ganizations should have in the
formulation and implementa-
ton Of Federal personnel
policies and practices. l.
, We believe. further, that the
proposals which we are recon-
mending. if adopted on a gov
ernmentwide basis, would con-
stitute an historic development
in Federal personnel policy. At
the same time we would en-
phasize the fact that it was not
necessary for us to seek far or
wide to come up with our rec
concentrations. With but
minor exceptions, everything
which we propose as a govern
mentwide policy for the future
is at this moment the existing,
established policy of one Fed
eral G. agency or another. We
have fashioned a program of
our own materials, choosing
that which has already been
tested and has proved its worth
within the Federal Govern
ment.
In proposing a government
wide policy on employe-man-
agement relations, we are not
proposing the establishment of
uniform governmentwide prac-
tices. The great variations
among the many agencies of
the Government require that
each be enabled to devise it's
own particular practices, in
cooperation with its own en-
ployes. Our object is to lay
down the general policies which