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IRS workers spent 521,725 hours on union activities; cost taxpayers $23.5m
Washington Examiner ^ | May 21, 2014 | BY PAUL BEDARD

Posted on 05/21/2014 2:38:06 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

The Treasury Department has revealed to the House Ways and Means Committee that Internal Revenue Service employees spent over 500,000 hours on union activities last year. They estimated the cost to taxpayers at $23.5 million in salary and benefits.

“Many Americans would be shocked to learn that IRS employees are unionized,” House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, R-La., told Secrets.

“The IRS has wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and over a half a million employee hours for union activities. It is absurd the IRS has the audacity to habitually come to this committee asking for more money. The IRS should spend less time picking political favorites and provide service to hardworking American taxpayers,” Boustany added.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: corruption; democrats; irs; irsscandals; irsunion; nteu; publicworkers; union; unions

1 posted on 05/21/2014 2:38:06 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

We can see the evolution of the US political system.

Not so much Democrat vs. Republican any longer - rather, the Government Party (and its employees, beneficiaries and cronies) vs. everyone else.


2 posted on 05/21/2014 2:40:37 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

On the face of it, that’s only $47/hour which seems far too low?


3 posted on 05/21/2014 2:41:46 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: PGR88

It’s really the party of big government vs. the party of bigger government. Unfortunately, it will take a ‘hard landing’ for the tyranny to end.


4 posted on 05/21/2014 2:42:30 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Why is the IRS so heavily unionized? I’ve known a few people who worked for the NPS, NFS, BLM, etc, and none of them were in unions or spent any time on union “activities.”


5 posted on 05/21/2014 2:51:55 PM PDT by Wyrd bið ful aræd (Pope Calvin the 1st, defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Most other federal agencies have the same situation. The FAA has NATCA (for Air Traffic Controllers) and other unions for Flight Standards Inspectors, maintenance personnel etc.

Union Reps spend most of their time on this stuff.

At least FDR recognized that there should not be federal employee unions, and I have to agree with that.


6 posted on 05/21/2014 2:55:43 PM PDT by Signalman
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Eliminate federal employee unions by statute, you lame brains.


7 posted on 05/21/2014 3:05:57 PM PDT by Argus
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To: Signalman

As a long time federal employee, it baffles me why any professional would want to belong to a union. I’m rewarded by my accomplishments. Always in my own mind and heart, and in years past, by my “betters.”

TC


8 posted on 05/21/2014 3:06:45 PM PDT by Pentagon Leatherneck
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I hope they eventually strike for a couple years.


9 posted on 05/21/2014 3:19:37 PM PDT by DainBramage
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To: Pentagon Leatherneck

“As a long time federal employee, it baffles me why any professional would want to belong to a union. I’m rewarded by my accomplishments. Always in my own mind and heart, and in years past, by my “betters.””

Because the union has convinced them that management will screw them and only managements favorites will be promoted or get raises, etc. You could talk to some federal union employees to get their perspectives but there are few union members in DoD. Most are in the democrat dominated social welfare agencies.


10 posted on 05/21/2014 3:26:42 PM PDT by DugwayDuke
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

So, is anybody going to do anything about it?


11 posted on 05/21/2014 3:34:34 PM PDT by SMM48
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To: Signalman
Letter from FDR Regarding Collective Bargaining of Public Unions written August 16, 1937:

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management.

The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees.

A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable.

12 posted on 05/21/2014 3:53:30 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: PGR88

“Not so much Democrat vs. Republican any longer - rather, the Government Party (and its employees, beneficiaries and cronies) vs. everyone else.”

NJ is the same BS on a smaller scale; gubmint workers aligned with the other “takers” against the “makers”.


13 posted on 05/21/2014 4:36:18 PM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Pentagon Leatherneck

“As a long time federal employee, it baffles me why any professional would want to belong to a union. I’m rewarded by my accomplishments.”

I can see why misguided people would embrace union membership; right now millions of private-sector workers who played by the rules have ended up on the street through no fault of their own, and they mistakenly believe a union might have prevented that. The fact that many people see unionized government workers as our new ruling class shows them that such jobs, while maybe completely useless make-work, provides a lucrative living.


14 posted on 05/21/2014 4:39:10 PM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

That explains the IRS Austin interest in me last year.
Considering I’ve never been to Texas...


15 posted on 05/21/2014 6:44:45 PM PDT by Zathras
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To: Argus

Eliminate federal employee unions by statute, you lame brains.
***********************
While that would be ideal, it’s very unlikely to happen because most federal employees vote Democrat.

An alternative would be to require that federal employees’ time spent doing union business SHALL be paid for by their unions; not the taxpayers.


16 posted on 05/21/2014 7:50:35 PM PDT by octex
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