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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2018)
PAGE 2 | June 15, 2018 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ...Trump slashes federal workers’ union rights From Page 1 (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Cheri Rice Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $15 a year for union members, $23 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of $10.56 a year per person are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 tional responsibilities using paid work time. The amount of paid time they may use is supposed to be “reasonable, necessary and in the public interest,” and is to be negotiated between the union and the employing agency. Paid time can’t be used to conduct union-specific business like so- liciting members, holding union meetings, electing union offi- cers, or engaging in political ac- tivities. AFGE argues that paid time saves taxpayers in the long run because it helps resolve workplace conflicts before they become costly, agency-wide problems. Under the laws passed by Congress, federal government workplaces are open shops, akin to “right-to-work,” in that union membership and dues are strictly voluntary matters, and yet unions are obligated to de- fend all employees, whether they’ve joined or not. And federal workers already have pretty limited union rights compared to private sector workers. They can’t strike, and they can’t negotiate over wages and benefits, which are set by Congress. So their unions’ abil- Some Congressional Republicans have been making a political issue of federal government union contracts that let union officers represent members on paid work time. The House Oversight Committee even held a May 24 hearing entitled “Union Time on the People’s Dime.” To set the record straight, AFGE ex- plains the practice at afge.org/take- action/campaigns/official-time/ ity to represent them when they face discipline is one of the most important union rights federal workers do have. That’s what Executive Order 13837 is aimed at. It severely hampers unions’ ability to de- fend workers facing discipline — at the very same time that Executive Order 13839 makes it quicker and easier for federal employees to be fired. Trump, who famously made “You’re fired” his signature catch-phrase, asked Congress in his February 2018 State of the Union address for greater au- thority to reward — or get rid of — federal workers. Congress hasn’t done that. Now Trump is trying to do it on his own au- thority. Executive Order 13839 would tear up longstanding fed- eral worker job security protec- tions and replace them with something more like an “at will” work environment. Under the order: ■ Managers at federal agencies don’t have to use “progressive discipline” (a standard union protection in which discipline progresses from a verbal or written warning to suspension or termination.) ■ Federal managers don’t have to be consistent in how they discipline employees: “Conduct that justifies discipline of one employee at one time does not necessarily justify similar discipline of a different employee at a different time,” the order says. ■ New hires have to go through a “probationary” period as the final step in the hiring process. ■ In the event of layoffs, seniority rights (a union policy that reduces management’s ability to reward favorites, and worker’s motivation to kiss up) would be replaced with manager-evaluated “performance” ratings. ■ Managers could also terminate employees for performance issues after 30 days. [Currently, federal employees get at least 60 to 120 days to show they can meet performance goals before being terminated.] A third order, Executive Or- der 13836, directs federal agen- cies to renegotiate their union contracts to increase manage- ment authority to “reward high performers, hold low-perform- ers accountable, or flexibly re- spond to operational needs.” It also says bargaining should not take more than a year. “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 AFGE president Cox Sr., in a press statement an- nouncing the lawsuit. “This is a democracy, not a dictatorship. No president should be able to undo a law he doesn’t like through administrative fiat.” ■ Time: Saturday June 7 ■ Place: Milwaukie Elks Lodge, 13121 SE McLoughlin Blvd ■ Cost: $20 per person, Raffle tickets $1 each or seven for $5. ■ Info/tickets: 503-235-9444 SHOP LOCAL. AND BUY UNION AND AMERICAN- MADE. Low Prices! 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