NFFE-FSC Breaking News
March 31, 2026: USDA releases reorganization plans for the US Forest Service. Check our home page for links.
Union Resources
Bargaining Unit Status (BUS)
General Information
Bargaining unit status (BUS) codes are more than just numbers; they represent collective bargaining rights, entitlements to national consultation rights, and entitlements to official time for representation under federal law. Bargaining unit status refers to an employee's eligibility to be represented by a labor union within the federal government. This status is indicated by a code, which can be found in Block 37 on the Standard Form 50 (SF-50).
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) maintains a list of bargaining unit names and codes on their Federal Labor Management Information System (FLIS) website.
General Guidance
The criteria for determining whether a position is excluded from the bargaining unit (and coded as 8888) is established by law. Types of positions excluded from coverage by a bargaining unit are found in 5 U.S.C. § 7112{b)(ll through (7) .
Definitions relevant to making determinations regarding exclusion from a bargaining unit are found in 5 U.S.C. § 7103(a) . If the position is not excluded from the bargaining unit by law, then a determination must be made as to whether the position is not in a bargaining unit (BUS code 7777) or in a bargaining unit (BUS code for the bargaining unit).
Key Bargaining Unit Status Codes
Bargaining Unit Status: 2009
You are a NFFE-FSC Bargaining Unit Employee. You are covered by the NFFE-FSC Master Agreement.
Bargaining Unit Status: 7777
You are not a NFFE-FSC Bargaining Unit Employee. You are not covered by the NFFE-FSC Master Agreement.
- An SF-50 with a code of 7777 in Block 37 indicates that your position is eligible for coverage by a bargaining unit, but no unit currently exists. If you are in a position with this code, you should contact your FS HRM or an attorney knowledgeable in federal employee law to verify your eligibility and any steps necessary to join a bargaining unit.
Bargaining Unit Status: 8888
You are not a NFFE-FSC Bargaining Unit Employee. You are not covered by the NFFE-FSC Master Agreement.
- An SF-50 with a code of 8888 in Block 37 indicates you are excluded from representation by any federal union.
- This does not necessarily mean that an entire unit is exempt from Union representation. Because the position itself is covered, the duties of the position must be reviewed. A position might be in a unit which has Union representation but the position may be coded as 8888 because of an exemption. The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute
identifies those positions that are excluded from a Bargaining Unit. See list below for 6 categories of Bargaining Unit exclusions:
- Management Officials
- Supervisors
- Confidential Employees (Only refers to those with direct access to Labor-Management Relations info)
- Employees engaged in Personnel Work
- Employees engaged in National Security activities
- Employees involved in Internal Audit functions