AWF Supports FEAA
Christopher Prandoni, Executive Director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom, has written a letter to members of the House of Representatives urging them to support the Federal Employee Accountability Act. If passed, the legislation would prohibit federal workers to from conducting union business during official time:
"On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), an organization established in 2003 to combat anti-worker legislation and promote free and open labor markets, I urge you to support Rep. Phil Gingrey’s Federal Employee Accountability Act of 2011, H.R. 122. If passed, this legislation would prohibit federal employees from using official time to engage in union activities saving taxpayers 1.2 billion dollars over the next 10 years.
A study conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for FY 2008 found that, among 61 federal departments and agencies, close to 3 million hours of official time was used in arbitration and collective bargaining. The report found that federal expenditures for these activities totaled $120,730,471, an increase of over $7 million from the previous year. It should be remembered that our country now has one of the largest federal civilian workforces in its history, with over 80,000 employees making over $150,000 a year. On average, federal workers are making 30-40% more than their counterparts in the private sector.
Federal employees engaging in union activities while on the clock helps explain why a majority of unionized labor—60 percent—resides in the public sector. This number is astounding as government workers have only recently been allowed to unionize.
As if big benefits, high pay, and “golden” pension plans weren’t enough, public-sector union members end goal is to increase the size and scope of government. This self-serving goal should, at the very least, should be done on their own dime, not ours. That government employees should be permitted to waste so many work-hours at taxpayer expense is unseemly and unnecessary, especially given the economic burdens many Americans are facing today. Republicans cannot promise a smaller, more fiscally responsible government if we cannot commit to reforming the government we already have."
Comments