Happy New Year!  Let’s hope it gets better soon.

In this first edition of our newsletter for 2022, we have an update about our outreach to the Office of the Attorney General, including a letter and a revised briefing document that we sent to Attorney General Garland.  Second, we have updates about new benefits for nursing parents on travel; DOJ’s Chief Diversity Officer position; new paid leave for bereavement; our friends at the immigration judges’ union; and two events.

So let’s dive in!

DOJ GEN advocates for our members with the Attorney General.

We recently learned the White House has required DOJ to develop its strategic plan to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) by March 23. DOJ GEN emailed the Office of the Attorney General this week to request a meeting to discuss what we hope DOJ will include in its plan. We received positive feedback and look forward to a meeting with Biden Administration leaders soon, where we intend to urge DOJ to include a salary history ban, revamped sexual misconduct policies, expanded flexible work options, and strong new diversity measures.

DOJ GEN also sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. As you may know, last fall, we met with Attorney General Garland, Deputy Attorney General Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Gupta. DOJ GEN was given five minutes for a presentation, during which our President Stacey Young discussed who we are, what we do, and what we want. In the letter, we followed up by requesting that DOJ make a stronger commitment to working with us. We asked this not only because our advocacy aligns with the Biden Administration’s priorities (and we’re fun to be around!), but because the Administration’s “full-throated support of organized labor in the public sector should apply with equal force to established affinity groups like DOJ GEN.” Especially because most of us have no union to join. It also says…well, you can just read it. Unlike the subject of the next paragraph, it’s not long.

And if that wasn’t enough, DOJ GEN also sent our comprehensive 2022 briefing document to the Attorney General, which we’ve updated since we created it for the transition team early last year. For those of you who recently found us, it’s a catalogue of much of our work over the last five years that will provide you with a comprehensive overview of what we’re all about.  For those of you who’ve been around for longer, we hope it’s still a helpful resource.

New policies for nursing parents.

There’s hopefully new relief for nursing parents! GSA issued a bulletin stating that under existing regulations, agencies may pay for a “spouse, nanny, or other attendant” to accompany a federal employee who’s nursing while on official travel “in order to watch the child in between the employee’s reasonable break periods to breastfeed while working.” It also states that under the same regulations, agencies may pay for breastmilk-shipping services, which some DOJ components already do. You can read all about this here.

JMD has invited those seeking more information to email travelpolicy@usdoj.gov.  For whatever reason, DOJ hasn’t disseminated this update widely, so spread the word to those you know.  And if you or someone you know is denied one of these travel accommodations, please let us know. 

DOJ advertises for Chief Diversity Officer.

DOJ reposted the job ad for a Chief Diversity Officer, which closes on January 24. The Department is now advertising the job as a Senior Level position, which pays more than the GS position it was advertised as before. Unlike the original ad that was posted last August, this one doesn’t require all applicants to provide their salary history, which is great! Also, last week OPM Director Kiran Ahuja issued a memo instructing all agencies to hire a chief diversity officer. 

Paid bereavement leave now available.

Federal employees who experience the death of a child will now be guaranteed two weeks (down from 12 weeks in the original bill) of paid leave bereavement. This new benefit is included in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that President Biden signed into law last month.

You can find the relevant provision here at Sec. 1111.

 Federal employee union recognized.

Terrific news about our friends at the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ). Last month, the Biden Administration finally reversed the decision from 2018 to decertify NAIJ. Once again, the federal government recognizes this important employees’ union. As NAIJ president and DOJ GEN board member Judge Mimi Tsankov said, “[f]inally, this unjust and cynical attempt to silence immigration judges has ended.”

Check out this great Federal Bar Association article about DOJ GEN’s and NAIJ’s efforts to advance gender equity at the Justice Department.

 Two diversity events in January!

Video from DOJ’s 2022 celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Attorney General Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, is now available for employees to view on DOJNET and the JMD EEO Staff Intranet Site.

The Women’s Bar Association for the District of Columbia is hosting DOJ GEN at an event on January 25 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. ET. Our President Stacey Young and Vice President Melanie Krebs-Pilotti will describe and answer questions about DOJ GEN’s advocacy for flexible work options, pay equity, and paid family leave. If you’re interested in attending, you can register by clicking the “Fighting for Gender Equity and Equality at the Federal Government” link here.

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