Posts tagged National Association of Government Employees
Court sides with Biden administration in dismissing federal employee union’s effort to eradicate debt default threat
October 20, 2023 // NAGE argued the debt ceiling should not stand for several reasons. Congress sets funding priorities, the union said, and a default scenario that requires the president to pay down some obligations and not others undermines that constitutional structure. Complying with the debt ceiling is inherently unconstitutional, therefore, unless and until Congress sets a roadmap for the exact spending schedules during a default. Similarly, the union argued, the president cannot simply cease making all payments during a default because the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from failing to pay its debts. The debt ceiling could place President Biden in an “impossible position,” it added, without legislative permission or constitutional authority for proceeding.
Unions fear ceding members in Defense Health Agency reorganization
August 22, 2023 // “Who am I to come in and say ‘you’re now in my union?’” he said. Some members have also questioned the structure of the units, saying markets force together facilities that group different military services, chains of command and cultures, even if the employees share job duties, management and working environments. “Whenever there’s a big reorganization like this, the FLRA needs to certify appropriate bargaining units,” Friday said. “But it doesn’t have to be the most appropriate bargaining units. There can be other workable configurations. And so here’s a question of trying to find something that comports, to some extent, with the agency structure, but also [with] NFFE’s goal that would also allow us to represent as many of our folks as we can.” The Colorado market, for example, is comprised of four treatment facilities and several medical clinics located in Colorado and Utah.
Labor union challenges constitutionality of debt limit law
May 10, 2023 // The union’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, says the debt limit statute allows the president to cancel government spending that’s been approved by Congress, and that violates the separation of powers. The lawsuit states that the union does not seek to challenge the “controversial proposition” that Congress can limit the country’s debt. But it contends that “Congress may not do so without at least setting the order and priority of payments once that limit is reached, instead of leaving it to the President to do so.” “Nothing in the Constitution or any judicial decision interpreting the Constitution allows Congress to leave unchecked discretion to the President to exercise the spending power vested in the legislative branch by canceling, suspending, or refusing to carry out spending already approved by Congress,” the lawsuit states.
Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan snags government employee union endorsement in AG campaign
April 4, 2022 // The National Association of Government Employees, a Quincy-based union which represents 22,000 public-sector employees in Massachusetts and more than 40,000 nationwide, announced Tuesday that its members unanimously voted to back Liss-Riordan, who hopes to succeed Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running for governor.
Mayor Bowser Signs Agreement with Unions that Represent More than 11,000 DC Government Employees
March 14, 2022 // Mayor Bowser was joined by representatives for the Compensation Units 1 and 2 in signing a four-year collective bargaining agreement that serves more than 11,000 employees across District Government. Compensation Units 1 and 2 represent 20 local unions and seven labor organizations, supporting DC Government career service employees who make up professional technical, administrative, clerical, trade and craft employees, delivering some of the District’s most integral services.
Don’t Unionize the National Guard
March 2, 2022 // Imagine, for a horrifying moment, the spectacle of an enlisted service member hesitating at a crucial moment to carry out an order from his or her commander until it can be vetted by a union shop steward.
Unions sue in bid to represent Connecticut National Guard members
November 16, 2021 // Labor unions filed a lawsuit on Monday to challenge a federal statute that makes it a felony for members of the armed forces to participate in union activities or to support labor organizing in their ranks. The suit is specifically intended to win collective bargaining rights for members of the Connecticut National Guard.