President Trump executive orders are threat to democracy, union says

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) ^ | May 25, 2018 | AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr

[mdittmar]

White House directives aim to strip federal workers of right to representation

WASHINGTON – President Trump is attempting to silence the voice of veterans, law enforcement officers, and other frontline federal workers through a series of executive orders intended to strip federal employees of their decades-old right to representation at the worksite, the American Federation of Government Employees said today.

“This is more than union busting – it’s democracy busting,” AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. “These executive orders are a direct assault on the legal rights and protections that Congress has specifically guaranteed to the 2 million public-sector employees across the country who work for the federal government.”

“Our government is built on a system of checks and balances to prevent any one person from having too much influence. President Trump’s executive orders will undo all of that. This administration seems hellbent on replacing a civil service that works for all taxpayers with a political service that serves at its whim.”

“Federal employees swear an oath to serve this country. The American people rightly expect that federal employees go to work every day and do the jobs they were hired to do – whether it’s ensuring our food is safe to eat, caring for veterans who were injured while serving their country, preventing illegal weapons and drugs from crossing our borders, or helping communities recover from hurricanes and other disasters.”

“President Trump’s executive orders do nothing to help federal workers do their jobs better. In fact, they do the opposite by depriving workers of their rights to address and resolve workplace issues such as sexual harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation against whistleblowers, improving workplace health and safety, enforcing reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities, and so much more.”

“These executive orders strip agencies of their right to bargain terms and conditions of employment and replace it with a politically charged scheme to fire employees without due process,” Cox said.

AFGE representatives have used official time in myriad ways that benefit taxpayers, including to:

• Blow the whistle on management’s attempt to cover up an outbreak of Legionnaires disease that killed and sickened veterans in Pittsburgh;
• Address an incident in which a noose was placed on the chair of an African-American worker at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia;
• Mitigate the impact of Army downsizing on employees and their families;
• Expedite the processing of benefits to veterans and their survivors; and
• Successfully negotiate equipping federal correctional officers with pepper spray to keep them safe on the job.

“All federal employees, whether they belong to a union or not, are guaranteed the right to fair representation. Employees who volunteer to serve as union representatives use official time to carry out those representational activities,” Cox said.

“It’s a policy that has saved taxpayers in the long run because it helps resolve isolated conflicts that arise in the workplace before they become costly, agency-wide problems. And contrary to some reports, official time is never used to conduct union-specific business, solicit members, hold internal union meetings, elect union officers, or engage in partisan political activities.”

“By preventing problem solving, these executive orders will create inefficiencies and hinder the ability of dedicated federal employees to effectively deliver services to the American public.”

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[Cobra64]

“threat to democracy”. That’s fine... good. We are not a democracy. Most Americans do not know this since American history is no longer taught in pubic skools .

[rolling_stone]

in fairness to federal unions, they are voluntary and employees do not have to join them, however unions must represent all members of the bargaining unit whether they are members or not. lots of freeloaders. The amount of official time allotted to union officers and stewards in most cases has been negotiated in bargaining unit contracts and it will be interesting to see how that will be resolved. Fed unions do not negotiate wages those are set by Congress.

..........
The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS aka “the Statute”) is a federal law which establishes collective bargaining rights for most employees of the federal government in the United States. It was established under Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

The FLRA was adopted after President Jimmy Carter sought legislation to bring comprehensive reform to civil service system and regularize federal labor relations.[1] The Statute consolidated the functions of the Federal Labor Relations Council and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor-Management Relations into a newly established Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), charged with overseeing elections and protecting federal government employees’ organizing and bargaining rights.. One commentator suggested that the legislative negotiations that resulted in the FSLMRS “so muddied the content and intent of the new agency that no one knew what it was supposed to do or how it was supposed to do it.[2]” Over time, there were modifications in the coverage and responsibilities specified in the Statute.

In passing the Statute, Congress declared that it wished to encourage collective bargaining between federal employees and their employers. Congress declared that collective bargaining is “in the public interest” because, among other things, it “contributes to the effective conduct of public business” and “facilitates and encourages the amicable settlements of disputes between employees and their employers involving conditions of employment.[3]”

.....One important difference between the two laws is the scope of the authorized collective bargaining process. While private-sector employees are entitled to collectively bargain through a representative of their choosing with respect to wages, hours, benefits, and other working conditions, federal employees can collectively bargain with respect to personnel practices only. Thus, federal employees may not negotiate the following working conditions through their exclusive bargaining representative: Wages, Hours, Employee benefits,and Classifications of Jobs.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Labor_Relations_Act

[Flaming Conservative]

Did they charge Ocurrupto with destroying democracy, for all of HIS executive orders?

[Little Ray]

Good.
If there one thing we need to put an end to in this country, it is democracy.

CITIZENSHIP Democracy:

A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of “direct” expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic—negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether is be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demogogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy

[Axamari]

Funny.. I seem to have missed their outrage and criticism of executive orders when Obama bragged about having a pen and how he was willing to use it...

[ronnie raygun]

good because we area republic

[Greg223]

To pull all federal employees. That is the best comment on federal service that I have seen it.

[unread]

"President Trump is attempting to silence the voice of veterans, law enforcement officers, and other frontline federal workers." “This is more than union busting – it’s democracy busting,”

Ha.!! What a joke. Unions today don't give a rat's rear end about what the rank and file has to say about anything... They'll sell their members down the river to the first dollar that comes their way, with no regard what-so-ever of the future of their own members...