According to various news reports, the American Federation of Government Employees has asked the Supreme Court to consider its lawsuit against the labor relations rules in the Pentagon’s new National Security Personnel System. A union coalition lost its appeal before the US Court of Appeals last year. Congress, however, has been sympathetic to the union case and in the 2008 defense policy bill directed DOD to make NSPS consistent with current collective bargaining requirements.
Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are tentatively scheduling a “Big Four” meeting for Oct. 26 to begin hashing out an agreement on the 2021 defense policy bill, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters. The Big Four refers to the top Democrats…