Posts tagged AFGE
As Trump’s DOGE plans crackdown, Social Security union secures telework deal
December 5, 2024 // The agreement comes as the incoming Trump administration and its newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, vow to require federal workers to return to the office full time in an effort to cull their numbers. The updated contract deal locks in the current levels of telework for American Federation of Government Employees members at the agency until late October 2029, according to a letter written by Rich Couture, AFGE general committee spokesperson and head of the union’s Council 215, and viewed by CNN. The agreement was signed by SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley just before he stepped down to run for Democratic National Committee chair.
Thousands of Federal Employees Land Work-From-Home Deal Ahead of Trump
December 5, 2024 // Unions have been pushing the outgoing Biden administration to extend existing collective bargaining agreements with federal workers in advance of Trump's inauguration next month, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Some union leaders are urging the current White House team to issue an executive order calling for such moves.
Comer highlights bill challenging work from home deal for federal employees
December 4, 2024 // The protections target tens of thousands of Social Security staff and are part of several efforts in anticipation of Trump’s plan to reshape America’s workforce, Bloomberg first reported. The outlet noted that the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing more than 40,000 employees, reached an agreement with the Social Security Administration (SSA) last week.
US federal workers hope Republicans will curb Trump, Musk firings
November 22, 2024 // The U.S. government is the country's largest employer. While workers are concentrated in Washington, D.C., and nearby Maryland and northern Virginia, some of the greatest concentrations of federal workers can be found in areas like southern Oklahoma and northern Alabama, which are represented by Republicans in the House. The biggest federal employees' union, the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 750,000 federal workers, is also looking to Congress, said Jacqueline Simon, the AFGE's policy director.
Unions’ political spending ignores almost 40% of their own members
November 4, 2024 // How can a union that purports to represent all of its members give so freely to only one political party? The answer: It can’t. At least, not while accurately representing its diverse membership. At best, public union executives are misrepresenting their members and are mismanaging their finances. At worst, they are engaging in coercion of dues and political corruption. Neither is a good look for the executives who claim to be helping everyday workers.
A Labor Dispute Inside The Department of Labor?
October 24, 2024 // Acting DOL Secretary Julie Su (dubbed "the union whisperer") is being accused of acting in "bad-faith" by her own DOL employees' union and wasting tax-payer resources.
Employees at Latin American aid agency vote to unionize
September 20, 2024 // The American Federation of Government Employees added a new chapter last week when employees at a small, nonpartisan agency tasked with awarding development grants to Latin American countries voted to unionize. According to a post from the nation’s largest federal employee union on Monday, 33 of 34 eligible employees at the Inter-American Foundation voted to unionize on Sept. 11, joining AFGE Local 2211, which represents 202 employees in the Washington, D.C., area as of June 29, a Labor Department filing shows.
Union Reactions to Biden’s Exit
July 23, 2024 // Notably, many unions released statements in response to President Biden’s announcement without officially endorsing Vice President Harris.
How a union joined the Trump-proofing craze
June 4, 2024 // While Biden aims to cast himself as “the most pro-union president in American history” and shores up protections for science within agencies, government employees using collective bargaining to thwart a potential Trump administration is unprecedented and could act as a blueprint for other unions to follow suit. AFGE’s new deal also comes after the Biden administration finalized a rule in April to cement protections for civil servants, as Trump has flirted with the idea of returning to his Schedule F policy that would allow him to easily fire or reclassify government workers. The agreement would not be able to prevent a Republican-aligned EPA from enacting policy, but Cantello anticipates the agency could appeal to the Federal Labor Relations Authority if an arbitrator ruled in favor of the union.
Labor employees show up to protest for more telework
April 3, 2024 // Ernst and Franklin wrote to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su seeking more details about what the protest cost the department. “Clearly, these employees know how much more effective they can be when they show up in person. We just wish they had the same level of dedication to serving Americans that they do to serving themselves,” the lawmakers wrote. “As White House Chief of Staff [Jeff] Zients said in January, agencies are still ‘not where they need to be’ on returning employees to the office. If your employees can show up to the office to protest, they can show up to the office to work.” Ernst and Franklin want Su to respond to answers to three questions by April 10: How much taxpayer-funded union time did representatives of AFGE Local 948 log with the Department of Labor (DOL) in the four weeks preceding their rally on March 19, 2024? Were the DOL employees paid—either through taxpayer-funded union time reimbursements or otherwise—for their protest against returning to the office, which they staged at their office? If so, what is the cost to the DOL including but not limited to labor and resources—of this protest?