EPA and Union Agree on Process for Reopening Libraries
From OMB Watch:
In response to a federal arbitrator's decision in February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) establishing procedures for the reopening of recently closed EPA libraries and bringing the union to the planning table for any future changes to the library network.
The agreement, which takes effect upon review by the head of EPA or within 31 days of its July 10 signing, addresses some of the concerns raised by Congress and watchdog groups over EPA's library plans. . .
. . . Although several of the concerns expressed by watchdog groups are mentioned in the agreement, many remain unaddressed or unclear. Beyond inclusion of the employee union, there is no mention of additional stakeholder input in the planning process for the library network. The exact amount of physical space and other resources that will be allotted to the libraries is not clear, and the plans for digitizing the library materials remain uncertain.