Generally speaking, this procedures are used to address common day-to-day work issues that may arise, but for which your immediate supervisor can’t or won’t resolve them. The ATF order allows you to express your grievance informally (verbally), or formally (in writing). It requires you to file a grievance at the lowest level that can grant you relief, but at least one level higher than anyone involved in the grieved issue.
This method has not only been historically discouraged by ATF management, but has also proven to be almost totally ineffective. Most SAC’s do not honor the process and nearly all grievances are simply denied without any sort of transparent review. In most instances, the only person to review your complaint is your boss’s boss. This is particularly true when grieving reprimands or suspensions. To expect your second-line supervisor to reverse your first-line supervisors’ decision is just not realistic in the ATF environment. RACs and Groups Supervisors have been conditioned to avoid making decisions regarding even insignificant matters, much less personnel actions, without permission from above. The bottom line is that by the time you receive the decision, your boss has already cleared the action with his boss. If his boss wanted to mediate or mitigate that decision, he would have already done so.
This extremely unethical practice has been effectively employed to keep complaints localized, well below headquarters’ radar. Whenever possible, voice your concerns at the highest possible level within the chain of command. This ensures that if you must grieve, you can go at least one level higher.
Example: You have attempted to resolve a significant problem through your SAC using normal conversation, email and/or memo, but did not get the desired results. According to ATF regs, you are now authorized to file a grievance at the HQ level via your DAD, since your SAC is now involved.
If you are subsequently transferred, detailed, receive an abnormally low or unfair evaluation, or suffer ANY other form of reprisal or retaliation, you should:- Immediately contact the Office of Special Counsel (www.osc.gov), as these constitute prohibited practices under government regulations.
- Research all relevant orders, regulations, policies and practices.
- Professionally and lawfully challenge each and every act of reprisal, in-writing, leaving an undeniable paper trail. In most cases, ATF management and counsel will later allege you did “not challenge” the issue and therefore “it wasn’t significant enough for them to address”.
- Document, document, document (everything).
