NASCOE

Contributed by Cindy Peterson, Former NWA Executive 

In the fall of 1990 the National Benefits Chairperson Gene Lutz was directed by NASCOE President Pete Balgord to undertake a complete review of the benefits packages offered our membership. Gene’s first concern was NASCOE’s liability in connection with the programs that were currently offered.  What if a member went on a trip to Disney Land and something happened, such as a plane crash.  What was NASCOE’s liability? No one had the answer.  Legal advice was needed - not only for these issues but for dismissals, suspensions or downgrades as well as other employment issues.

 

So this review led to another assignment – review and seek a re-write to the current Personnel Handbook (Part 10 of 22PM). 

 

Gene contacted each of the companies that had proposed items to NASCOE – Disney, TWA, United and Continental Airlines, Budget, National and Alamo car rental, American Family Life Insurance Company and several others.  He contacted the companies which were to handle the proposals – JM Marketing, AFLAC, Mutual of Omaha and others.  JM Marketing was chosen and later approved by the membership.

 

That agreement is still the basis for the NASCOE Benefits Program in effect today in 2009.  

NASCOE then, through Gene, addressed the re-write of Part 10 of Handbook 22PM.  The existing procedure was pretty one-sided and favored the Agency.  The employee was pretty much on their own in defending against suspension, dismissal or appeal process. 
  
First priority was to insure that our employees were given the right to legal counsel and that State Offices would provide them with a hearing and/or review of any charges.  The State Office would also provide for the employee to have a third party attend any such hearing.  This third party would be a person of the employee’s choice and would act only as an observer to insure the hearing was fair.  Also the employee was given the opportunity to have complete access to all charges and was given a full opportunity to defend their actions against those charges.  A hearing officer was to be appointed and upon the completion of the hearing would provide a ruling. 

The second step in the process would be to allow the affected employee to challenge any adverse ruling by appealing to Washington, DC.   Strict time limits were to be imposed - at least 30 days, but no longer than 90 days for these processes to occur.

Success!  These changes were added as Part 10.5 of Handbook 22-PM after much time, effort and challenges.

 

The next challenge was to find legal counsel that would look at what NASCOE was offering its membership and determine NASCOE’s liability, if any.  With the help of NASCOE’s Legislative Consultant David Senter and Associates, Paul Newton and Gene Lutz searched for a legal team. Paul and Gene traveled to Washington and conducted face-to-face interviews.  They met with Elizabeth Newman, senior partner of Kalajarvi and Chuzi.  She said – “Mr. Lutz, I understand you are trying to get the department to update the appeal and hearing process for your employees.  I look forward to seeing what you have done and look forward to helping you where I can.”  Gene was in awe of this statement and asked how she knew.  She replied, “Good news travels fast in this city.  So where are you in your process?”

 

Needless to say, this was the law firm recommended to NASCOE.  The firm was hired.  This firm is still used by NASCOE in 2009.

 

In 1993 NASCOE and Management established a Classification Task Force.  Working together PTs were given the opportunity to obtain a Grade 7 and Shared Management Office PTs could reach an 8.  Level 9 was available to Chief Program Technicians.  Once PT reclassification was obtained, work began on CED upgrades.  As a result of this effort the number Grade 9 offices were reduced, Grade 10s were eliminated; many Grade 11s were promoted to Grade 12s.  This process took about 2 years but what a pay off!

 

NASCOE gave birth to another association in 1995.  The retired ASCS/FSA employees formed an organization to work for their rights and needs – RASCOE.  The organization started with 282 members and has done nothing but grow ever since.

 

In the mid-90s there was a major move to get government out of agriculture.  This developed into the Agricultural Marketing Transition Act of 1996 (AMTA).   This seven-year plan moved away from subsidies and toward an open and free market.  AMTA is probably remembered by most of us as “Freedom to Farm”.   The public assumed two things would happen – 1.  that producers would no longer need an FSA office, and 2. agriculture would prosper without government intervention. 

As offices down-sized in preparation for a lessened demand for service, crop prices dropped - many to all time lows.  Also during this time the nation was hit by several disasters.  Rather than less need for FSA, we were needed more than ever. 

 

NASCOE stepped to the forefront in the battle to, not only, stop the bleeding but to strengthen the patients.  The NASCOE leadership spent hundreds of hours educating Congress and the FSA Administration in the needs and requirements of the nation’s FSA offices and the American farmers and ranchers.

 

It was during the 90s that FSA came into being.  With the disbanding of FmHA and the joining of farm loans with ASCS, we became the Consolidated Farm Service Agency (CFSA) then FSA.  With this joining we gained additional programs, additional employees and an additional personnel system – GS.  These employees also had their own associations –NACS and NASE. 

 

In December of 1998 a joint meeting was held between all employees groups –NASCOE, NADD (National Association of District Directors), NASE and NACS.  The various employee groups of FSA were making an attempt to improve communication, cooperation and work more productively together. That same year, NASCOE made improving relations between FSA and outside agriculture groups a priority in the hope that we could all strengthen each other.

 

We ended the century with worries of Y2K.  Looking back it seems silly, but the world was worried that computer systems would crash as no provision had been made for the change from 19** to 20** when computer programming first began.

 

So yes, we made it past January 1, 2000, with computers intact and on we went into a new century.

 

This century and the rapid expansion of internet availability brought major changes in communication and how basic business is carried out.  NASCOE started providing its officers and executives with computers.  This made almost immediate responses available between NASCOE Executive Committee members and through them to the membership.  Remember the telegrams to congress in the 60s?  We now have emails – and they are the preferred form of communication with senators and representatives.  NASCOE began using CapWiz to assist membership in getting our points to Washington, DC.

 

The era of the internet solved one of the biggest membership requests made to NASCOE – current news and events.  The NASCOE website offers the public pages upon pages of information about NASCOE.  The twice monthly NASCOE Now has evolved into a news bulletin that keeps membership informed and up to date on what is happening in their organization.

The NASCOE Now and CapWiz proved especially useful in the “FSA Tomorrow” battle which arose in 2005.  FSA Tomorrow was a serious attempt to close offices and possibly reduce staff without any knowledge or consultation with county office employees or the American producer.  In large part because NASCOE brought the issue to the public, our customers determined that public and employee input must be a part of any plan to restructure FSA and that “FSA Tomorrow” was not that plan.

 

Currently FSA employees are struggling to move from the old “36” computer system to a web based system.  As with every change, this has not come without bumps.  Also as usual,  FSA and NASCOE are would with our Administrators to transition smoothly, iron out those bumps and produce an end product that is best for our producers and the American taxpayer.

 

Entering the twenty-first century we continue to fight many of the same battles – not that we have not won these battles previously, but the issues seem to resurface again and again.  NASCOE works for office space; improved furniture and equipment; sufficient staffing and decent salaries for that staff; insurance coverage improvements and lower employee contributions.  We work to adapt to a changing society and we work to remain the “can do” agency.  We work to carry out the requirements as put forth by Congress.  We work to maintain our commitment to the American farmer and rancher.  And our producers continue to be our friends and family, we work to remain that friendly helpful face in the office – not a government bureaucrat.