Posted on 06/13/2019 2:18:42 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Members of the American Federation of Government Employees turned their backs on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday, apparently over plans to relocate them from Washington to the Kansas City area.
Perdue announced Thursday that two of the Department of Agriculture’s research agencies, the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will be relocated to be closer to major farming regions.
While Perdue has justified the relocation as a way to improve customer service and save taxpayers up to $20 million per year, some ERS employees have said it is a political move, according to the publication.
Specifically, some ERS staff have expressed suspicions the relocation is an attempt to shrink the agency and weaken its ability to conduct research that does not align with the Trump administration’s policy agenda.
The department retreated on another proposal to shift ERS within the department’s organizational structure to place it under the Office of the Chief Economist.
"While we believe there is considerable synergies and benefits to a realignment, after hearing feedback from stakeholders and members of Congress, USDA will not move forward with the realignment plans," the department said.
Employees at both agencies voted to unionize after the relocation was announced, according to Politico. They are expected to receive relocation letters Thursday and will be given 30 days to make a decision, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.
Union reps said employees were not given advance notice of the announcement and that they learned of the site selection via media reports despite Perdue’s assurances he would provide notice.
The relocation has divided Congress along partisan lines as well, with the four Republicans who represent Kansas and Missouri in the Senate issuing a joint statement praising the move.
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), who hold key positions on House subcommittees with jurisdiction over the agencies, have said the process has lacked transparency, according to Politico.
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), who has co-sponsored legislation to halt the relocation, said a USDA inspector general review “examining the viability of this relocation is not complete."
Moving the Department of Agriculture out of Washington to the American heartland where they can have a first-hand relationship with agricultural producers.
Do they care about farmers or do they just want to stay in urban Washington away from 'those people who get their hands dirty'?
If I turned my back on my boss while he was speaking, I’m pretty sure I’d be out on my ass in about an hour. Maybe less.
looks like every govt agency HQ ever
In general, I do not favor unemployment. But I would think that laying off the entire federal bureaucracy, every last one of them, would be a positive step for humankind.
Department of Agriculture employees hate farmers..............
Those disheveled fat asses knew they would be photographed for all the world to see, and yet ...
Don’t they make brown paper bags any more? Even at my age I look better than any of them and I won’t be photographed.
These @sshats REPORT to him - but they WORK FOR ‘We The People!’
How easy it is to forget that! I’d fire them all!
I hope this is the start of moving ALL of our ‘agencies’ OUT of D.C.!
That would REALLY MAGA! :)
looks like every govt agency HQ ever
They think they’re so special..,
They are Economy majors. VERY few jobs outside of DC.
“Employees at both agencies voted to unionize after the relocation was announced, according to Politico. They are expected to receive relocation letters Thursday and will be given 30 days to make a decision, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.”
They were already unionized. Is this a second union or an expectation that once moved, they will again be unionized?
Gee, I thought they were upset because “their” farmer died. Typical D.C. bureaucrats, most making over $100K, with a benefit package most workers can only dream of, and a million dollar retirement.
Hope Secretary Perdue accelerates his plans. Force them to choose; move to the heartland or find another cushy federal gig. You’d be surprised how fast most of them would sell their homes in Virginia and start house-hunting in the KC suburbs. Their “principles” go only as far as their bank accounts.
That’s one dumb-looking bunch of people.
Enjoy your stay in MAGA country you worthless liberal pukes!
All that don’t want to relocate can easily be replaced with Good Ol boys!
How I wish these scumbags were in the private sector, I wonder how much sleep they lose every time a company relocates in the private sector?////////
They should be thankfull they are not being asked to relocate to China, Mexico or India.
This is a great opportunity to fire some bureaucrats. I hope Perdue makes the most of it.
@$$holes need to be fired. Washington DC needs to be weened of Federal agencies. There is too much power concentrated in that City. We need to break up the "deep state", and scatter it all across the country.
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