Last week, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed a lawsuit against the current Presidential administration over an executive order set to hinder the time allotted for Federal workers to engage in collective bargaining activities. Essentially, the document decrees that official paid time cannot be utilized for union-related matters if that timeframe exceeds one hour in a five-day period. The directive, entitled Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Efficiency in Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Use, imposes a deadline of 45 days for every agency to enact policies that enforce the new regulation. The legal complaint filed by AFGE argues that the Executive Order violates not only portions of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, but also the first amendment for exclusively and unfairly targeting labor organizations and their respective representatives.
Most associations like AFGE, including NARFE and NTEU, tend to endorse Democratic candidates, who are typically seen as friendlier towards the Federal Government’s civilian labor force, over Republican politicians. Currently, 17 out of the 19 candidates supported by AFGE are of the Democratic Party. Many point to this perceived favoritism of more liberal legislators as a begrudged motive for the attacks on Feds deriving from the GOP, including the sitting President.
–Until Next Time,
*Written by Benjamin Derge, Administrative Associate. The information has been obtained from sources considered reliable but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Benjamin Derge and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is no affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize, or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors. Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website’s users and/or members.
Pro Union Group Files Lawsuit