We go all the way in fighting for employees we represent. NTEU’s recent win on transit subsidies is one example of how our perseverance pays off.
The transit subsidy has gone up and down since 2012, thanks to Congress. In some years, lawmakers would raise it, in others the subsidy would stay flat. Sometimes it was at the same level as the parking benefit—other times it was far below.
Finally, NTEU last year achieved our goal of permanent parity between the parking and transit benefit. But NTEU wasn’t done. The union then got to work on securing retroactive transit subsidies paid to employees who are due.
These efforts recently paid off at the Department of Energy (DOE). NTEU secured an agreement that will ensure employees receive the maximum benefit allowed under federal law. DOE will reimburse employees for their monthly transit costs between $130 and $250 for January 2014 through December 2015. The reimbursement ceiling goes up to $255 for January 2016.
In all, employees can receive up to $3,000 in reimbursements. That’s no small change.
NTEU is hoping to bring similar success stories to other agencies. NTEU is in talks on payment plans at the Internal Revenue Service and Customs and Border Protection. Meanwhile the union is in the grievance or arbitration phase over reimbursements at the Bureau of Fiscal Service, Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency.
April.