§7422 Collective Bargaining

Summary

The Secretary must respect federal employees' right to negotiate work conditions through representatives they choose under chapter 71 of title 5, unless another part of this title says otherwise. For employees named in section 7421(b), bargaining and any grievance process cannot cover any matter about professional conduct or competence, peer review, or how pay is set under this title. Professional conduct or competence means direct patient care and clinical competence. The Secretary alone decides if an issue falls into those categories, and that decision cannot be bargained over or reviewed by another agency. Any court petition under section 7123 of title 5 about these employees must go only to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.