On the recordMay 24, 2017
These two bills are a frontal attack on official time, but they actually stab federal employees in the back. One bill would make it virtually impossible for union members to volunteer their time unless they wanted to give up parts of their retirement benefits. What kind of quid pro quo is that? What do you want to do next? Reduce pay if a union rep uses official time? The next bill designates employees who cannot represent other employees. This bill looks like something you would expect from countries where there is no right to organize. This bill reduces the amount of dues unions can collect, even though they are collecting dues on their own time and not official time. This is a brazen attempt to eliminate the fair-share fee, non-union workers pay for being represented equally with union members, and allow free riders to be served free of charge. This is the beginning of an out- and-out assault on the freedom of workers to organize.
