Total Force Awareness Training (TFAT) Change 2011 - Free Exercise of Religion

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Nov 3, 2011

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA)                 

ON

Total Force Awareness Training (TFAT) Change 2011

Total force Awareness Training MOA dated 18 Feb 2010 remains effective.

1.  The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 214 and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), hereafter referred to as the Union and Management, hereby enter into this Memorandum of Agreement regarding subject change as it applies to bargaining unit employees (BUEs) covered by the Master Labor Agreement (MLA) between the parties. 

2.  Total Force Awareness Training (TFAT) is a computer and internet-based training sequence designed to encompass the Air Force mandated annual training requirements for all employees.  The training is offered on the Advanced Distributed Learning Service (ADLS) website.  The TFAT program was designed to refine and condense existing ancillary training which formerly took several hours to complete.  The current change will expand the Human relations module with added material on violence, expand the Force Protection module with updated counter-intelligence material, and add a new unit on Free Exercise of Religion (FER).  All TFAT training modules, except FER, are available in downloaded format for presentation either in classroom setting or as printed copies for personal review. FER training will be available for download later in FY11.

3.  To accommodate the impacts on bargaining unit employees, Management agrees to the following:

a. Employees, at their own discretion, may choose to take the TFAT in printed form as an alternative to using the ADLS system.

b.  A one-time Free Exercise of Religion course completion (via ADLS or off-line course completion) for all current bargaining unit employees is required by 1 Mar 12 and/or within 120 days of official hire date for each newly-hired bargaining unit employee whose first date of employment is 1 Jan 12 or after.

c. The Parties agree that employees should know how their FER rights will be enforced.  Therefore, upon the signing of this agreement the parties agree to include the following statement in an email to AFMC Center/DP’s instructing them to ensure widest dissemination to all serviced BUEs:  “Free exercise of religion involves rights protected under law.  Bargaining unit employees may use their negotiated grievance procedure to resolve disputes concerning the proper enforcement of regulations and policies which govern the Free Exercise of Religion policy within the Air Force.  Alternatively, employees who feel they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the Equal Opportunity Office (reference AFI 36-2706).”

 4.  All remedies available under the MLA or 5 U.S.C. 71 will remain available to the parties if concerns cannot be cooperatively resolved.

For Management / Date                                  For the Union / Date

 _____/signed/__________                ____/signed/_____________

GINA WILLIAMSON                                  KRIS KEELER

Labor Relations Specialist,                    Executive Assistant

HQ AFMC/A1KL                                         AFGE Council 214

_____/signed/__________            ____/signed/_______________

JOE GYENES                                          TOM ROBINSON

HQ AFMC/A1DS                                      Executive Assistant

                                                                   AFGE Council 214