FMCS Congratulates Department of Defense Education Activity and Overseas Federation of Teachers on Pivotal Agreement

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) welcomed representatives from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Overseas Federation of Teachers (OFT) to its Washington, DC headquarters yesterday to congratulate the parties on a pivotal tentative labor agreement. It is the parties' first successor contract agreement in 28 years.

Representatives from both DoDEA and OFT were in attendance and were also joined online by others in their respective organizations, including American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten and DoDEA Director Thomas Brady. AFT is OFT's parent organization.

"We would like to extend our congratulations to the parties on this momentous occasion," FMCS Acting Director Greg Goldstein said. "Though FMCS cannot comment on the substance of their specific negotiations, FMCS was honored to assist the parties in coming to a resolution of their negotiations and successfully completing their collective bargaining agreement."

The contract covering the Europe South school district represents the culmination of a long series of negotiations between the two parties. The district includes 16 DoDEA schools in Bahrain, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, and educates over 5,600 students with nearly 600 teachers making up the OFT bargaining unit.

FMCS Commissioner Kevin Wagner was invited by the parties in 2020 to assist with developing ground rules which were adopted in mid-2021, and he was subsequently invited to help mediate the parties' collective bargaining process, ultimately resulting in the mutually acceptable resolution they achieved yesterday.

"These parties faced difficult and divisive issues," said Wagner. "Through their determination, commitment, professionalism, and dedication to the process, they were able to overcome significant challenges and obstacles to find their path to a contract."

The U.S. Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) is the nation's premier public agency for dispute resolution and conflict management. FMCS was created by Congress as a neutral and independent government agency upon enactment of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Act) and mandated to resolve industrial conflict and promote labor-management peace and cooperation, minimizing the impact of these disputes on the free flow of commerce. With headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices across the country, the agency has a proud track record of decades of effective dispute resolution and conflict management services for employers and unions across industries and work activities in the private, public, and federal sectors. FMCS is also recognized for its success facilitating negotiated rulemaking processes and for its robust employment mediation program in the federal sector as well as its global program, partnering with more than 60 countries to provide international consulting and training. For more on FMCS or to request services, visit www.fmcs.gov

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SOURCE Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service