Sanford Bishop: “I believe that this amendment really serves no purpose but to erode collective bargaining rights for civil service…”

“I believe that this amendment really serves no purpose but to erode collective bargaining rights for civil service Federal employees, and it may violate collective bargaining agreements that have been negotiated between workers and these agencies. The VA employs some 342,000 people, and to complain because 200 of them spend their time representing and making sure that the conditions of employment within the scope of employment of their coworkers under collective bargaining agreements are maintained, I believe, is just punitive. Federal unions are legally required to provide representation to all members of a bargaining unit, whether or not the workers elect to pay voluntary unions dues. Representation for employees working their way through administrative procedures is a cost-effective process for administering and adjudicating agency policies. The alternative to official time is for government agencies to pay for costly third-party attorney and arbitrator fees. Eliminating official time would increase cost, time, and effort for the agencies, the workers, and the taxpayers. Official time is essential to maintaining workplace safety. Union representatives use official time to set procedures to protect employees from on-the-job hazards. Official time is also used to allow employees to participate in work groups with the management team to improve the processes.…”