Robert J. Gilson

Robert (Bob) J. Gilson began his Federal career with the US Civil Service Commission. He has held labor and employee relations, managerial and Agency advocacy positions with OPM, Navy, Army, Treasury and the National Transportation Safety Board. He has served as chief negotiator on numerous labor agreements in the U.S. and abroad. He represented his employing agencies before the FLRA, FSIP, MSPB, EEOC and arbitrators. Bob had principal responsibility for developing adverse action cases involving conduct and performance of employees at all levels including Senior Executives. He has trained literally thousands of Federal negotiators, supervisors and managers and has been doing so for over 35 years. Bob estimates he has taught in excess of 100 sessions of two or more days of Federal Sector negotiations on-site training for Agency teams.

Bob retired from Federal service in 2001 and is currently a senior associate with GRA Inc. Since retiring, he has bargained for Federal Agencies as well as providing training and technical assistance. Bob conducts bargaining training courses for Federal Agency managers and practitioners.

His recent technical assistance projects have included agreement review and analysis including the development of management proposals and counterproposals for a number of Agencies. Bob also recently served as Chief Negotiator for a Federal Agency’s first national master labor agreement.

Bob is the author or coauthor of nine books for Federal managers. His ninth is The ABCs of Federal Labor Relations Law (LRP Publications). Bob writes for FedSmith, a Blog devoted to Federal issues. Agency practitioners are constrained from voicing their views for a number of generally good reasons. Since Bob no longer suffers under such constraints, his writings often provoke negative comments about them and him from Federal unions, the Federal Labor Relations Authority and the Federal Service Impasses Panel. He believes that these organizations may profit from a public airing of their activities and tries to insure they get exactly that. To see some of his current writings, visit www.fedsmith.com

Contact Bob at bob.gilson@fedsmith.com