Ames Federal Employees Union

Here’s the first draft charter for the AFEU Ethics Committee I sent out a couple weeks ago:

Charter for the Ames Federal Employees Union Ethics and Scientific Integrity Committee

The AFEU Ethics and Scientific Integrity Committee (AFEU-ESIC) is a committee established investigate matters of management and employee ethical misconduct or adverse pressure to compromise the integrity of scientific research, to notify the executive board of these matters, and to propose actions that the Union may take to remedy these incidents of misconduct. These actions may include individual, group, or Union grievances, contract negotiations, legislative action, communications with the management, and communications with the press. The ESIC may also be asked by the executive board to represent the Union and to communicate with NASA and external ethics boards and organizations on matters of ethics in order to ensure a speedy resolution to matters concerning the committee and the scientific and engineering community as a whole.

The integrity of the science and engineering performed at NASA Ames Research Center affects all employees at the time of the misconduct and in the future. This committee performs a critical function of ensuring that science is performed in an unbiased, intellectually honest, fair, and scientifically sound manner. Engineering design, construction, and contract oversight must also be performed in an honest and fair manner to ensure that the best instruments and vehicles are built in a manner which is cost-effective and high-performance while maintaining quality and safety of the workforce.