NFFE
National Federation of Federal Employees
An affiliation of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO
JCK Federal Building July 27, 2018 (312) 842-5036
230 S. Dearborn Room 1578 (312) 714-7790 cell
Chicago, IL 60604
Press Release by the GSA National Council: Charles Paidock cpaidock@hotmail.com
In Response to Executive Orders Issued by the President
Federal Union Launches Recruitment Drive for New Members
NFFE, the National Federation of Federal Employees, in the midwest is planning to launch a recruitment drive for anyone who is not presently a member. This act was precipitated by three Executive Orders issued by the President curtailing and confining any union activities by federal employees, which are just going into effect.
Charles Paidock, a regional officer headquartered in Chicago, IL, stated that “We are not intimated by any actions of the President to eliminate the organized labor movement in the government. Previous administrations have gone after and tried to weaken federal unions in the past, but their attempts were beaten back. However, the current attempt by Trump is the first being issued as official policy through the use of Executive Orders.”
Employees are being contacted personally, in hard copy, by email, and social media to become engaged in matters affecting their conditions of employment. Recruitment is difficult to accomplish due to restrictions of doing so while on-duty or in duty areas. Nevertheless, the union is determined to persevere.
Federal unions were established with passage of the Civil Service Reform Act in 1978, in which it was determined that collective bargaining in the public sector was found to be “in the public interest.” The precise status of contracts presently in effect, which conflict with the Executive orders in many ways, has not been determined.
Several lawsuits have been filed challenging the legality of Trump’s Executive Orders, and the union officials are hopeful of a court ruling in their favor. The details are being developed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), with further refinement by individual agencies. Trump has proposed eliminating OPM itself as a unit of the federal government.
A rigorous lobbying effort is underway as well with members of Congress to challenge or overturn the President’s actions. Senate and House delegations from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are targeted.
The Union maintains that Trump is attempting a type of “lockout” by prohibiting any use of government equipment or facilities, and seeks to close any union offices in a federal facility unless rent is paid. The Execute Order states that: “No employee acting on behalf of a federal labor organization will be permitted free or discounted use of government property or agency resources. This includes office or meeting space, reserved parking spaces, phones and computers.”
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NFFE
National Federation of
Federal Employees
Chicago, IL
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Everyday
