But of course they do………

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court said Friday the Pentagon has the authority to pick and choose which labor issues it will negotiate with unions representing more than 600,000 civilian employees.

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The policy has been on hold since early last year when a federal judge said it eroded collective bargaining rights.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned that ruling Friday, saying in a 2-1 decision that Congress temporarily authorized the policy change until 2009.

The policy gives Defense Secretary Robert Gates greater flexibility to change workers’ assignments and refuse to negotiate over certain issues.

The American Federation of Government Employees said the policy also unfairly restricts the appeals process for unfavorable personnel decisions and allows the Pentagon to avoid negotiating at all.

“This undermines the fundamental concept of collective bargaining,” said Ward Morrow, assistant general counsel for AFGE. “If they disagree with our offer, they can just take it off the table. What kind of bargaining is that?”

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