Posted on 05/31/2018 10:34:35 AM PDT by mandaladon
The largest union representing federal workers on Thursday took the Trump administration to court to block a new executive order that severely restricts the time employees may spend on union activity, claiming the president’s action violates the First Amendment and oversteps the president’s constitutional authority.
“This president seems to think he is above the law, and we are not going to stand by while he tries to shred workers’ rights,” said the American Federation of Government Employees national president J. David Cox Sr., in a statement that announced the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District.
“This is a democracy, not a dictatorship,” Cox said. “No president should be able to undo a law he doesn’t like through administrative fiat.”
The White House did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
The restriction on what is known as “official time” — which will ultimately have to be bargained through collective bargaining contracts at federal agencies — was one of three orders the president signed late Friday before the Memorial Day weekend to roll back long-held civil service protections for federal employees.
The others instruct agencies to crack down on unions in contract negotiations and move more aggressively to fire employees with records of misconduct or poor performance.
The lawsuit challenges the official time guarantee that Congress gave federal employee unions four decades ago.
AFGE, which represents about 700,000 federal workers, argues that the executive order violates the union’s right to freedom of association, guaranteed by the First Amendment. The lawsuit claims the Trump administration has singled out labor organizations for disparate treatment.
AFGE also says that mandating the number of hours agencies may authorize for employees’ use of official time to 25 percent illegally changes a provision of the law Congress passed in 1978
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Did he violate any existing contracts? That’s what matters.
They’re now looking for a Hawaiian judge
He left out "except for Obama".
Shred on!
Q: How does a federal employee wink?
A: He opens one eye.
” move more aggressively to fire employees with records of misconduct or poor performance.”
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That was the sticking point. It was about a culture of non-performance. As long as you paid your dues, you have a job for life. That’s not how it supposed to be. The NEA has a LOT of teachers who have a history of molestation as an example, and are still on the union. Enough is enough.
LOL , the idiots will make sure the suit goes to one of the imbecile lib judges who voted against Trump on the mooslum flight ban.
Trump needs only cite FDR’s argument against Federal Employee Unions, as it has the effect of the government negotiating both sides of the contract.
They can associate on their own time.
WINNING! Not whining!
He should rescind the JFK executive order that allowed them to Unionize in the first place. They should be able to use any official time on union/political activity.
Let me see. Government unions were OK’ed by executive orders.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_10988
Anything created by executive order can be destroyed by executive order.
Creating a lawsuit about a new POTUS changing executive orders is about a stupid as you can get. Waste of time and money.
The Unions need to take it through Congress, that is the appropriate venue for ‘government workers rights’.
I don’t think President Trump went far enough...I think the JFK government unions, whose salary we pay, should not be allowed....they fund both parties, especially the Democrat Party....some bureaucrats jobs are threatened if they don’t toe the party line. Unions are Marxist at best...
It also may be about Trump raising the anti to “go ahead” I’ll call your suit and raise you an EO that eliminates your so called union!
They’ve already lost the case...the USA is a “republic”, not a “democracy”.
Unions - in my experience - come closer to being “dictators” over the workers, than any government.
It’s a protection racket, the union leaders get rich, while the worker chase the carrot on the stick.
Unions are America’s prime creator of mediocrity.
Who is the predatory employer that the public sector workers need to be protected from; we the people?
AFGE also says that mandating the number of hours agencies may authorize for employees’ use of official time to 25 percent illegally changes a provision of the law Congress passed in 1978
So they can use 25 percent of their time on union duties?
I guess I just don’t understand.
there should be no such thing as a federal employee union
“This is a democracy, not a dictatorship,” Cox said. “No president should be able to undo a law he doesn’t like through administrative fiat.”
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Actually this is a Constitutional Republic......but don’t let the truth get in the way of your simple mind....
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