Posts tagged federal sector
Trump Hasn’t Undone Workers’ Union Rights Op-ed: Maxford Nelsen
January 2, 2026 // The presidents of both the AFL-CIO and American Federation of Government Employees both praised the House vote as necessary to “restore” federal workers’ “union rights.” But nothing in Mr. Trump’s order limits federal employees’ right to form or join a union. It simply eliminates the legal obligation of certain federal agencies to negotiate their “personnel policies, practices and matters . . . affecting working conditions” with unelected special interests. The distinction matters, as unions admit in other contexts. South Carolina, in which state and local governments can’t engage in collective bargaining, still has a teachers union that is quick to remind teachers that they can join and fork over dues money.
EXPERT INSIGHT: White House Claims that Federal Union Membership Grew Under Biden Appear Incorrect
May 3, 2023 // Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reinforces this conclusion. BLS works with the Census Bureau to conduct monthly surveys used to calculate the unemployment rate. The interviewers also ask respondents questions about where they work and whether they are union members. Economists use the survey data to estimate union membership in various industries, including the federal government. Because the BLS data comes from a survey, it has a statistical margin of error and is less precise than union financial filings. Nonetheless, the BLS data shows the same pattern as union financial filings: A slight increase in 2022 and a modest overall decrease since 2020.