To Do For All That Which No One Can Do For Oneself
Header

AFGE Analysis of Executive Orders (EO)

January 23rd, 2025 | Posted by admin in Contract | Did you know? | Events | Executive Orders | KNOW YOUR CONTRACT | National Updates - (0 Comments)

Trump 2.0 EO Breakdown

Schedule Political/Career (PC) Executive Order

Soundbites:

  1. "This action will transform the professional civil service into an army of political appointees loyal to Trump, not their mission."
  2. "It dismantles the merit-based civil service, jeopardizing professionalism and impartiality."

Key Details:

  • Creates a hiring authority in the excepted service (Schedule PC) for policy-influencing decisions.
  • Could make hundreds of thousands of non-partisan roles into at-will positions.
  • Purports to remove due process protections and collective bargaining rights.

Legal Analysis:
Nothing in this Executive Order, as written, should abrogate existing collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), which remain in full force and effect. If agencies attempt to violate CBAs, unions should notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National. Members are encouraged to comply and grieve to ensure rights are upheld.

President Kelley:
"This order is a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by removing protections for workers, making them answerable only to one man."

Return to Worksite Directive

Soundbites:

  1. "Telework isn’t new—over half of federal employees never worked remotely, even during the pandemic."
  2. "Smart telework enhances productivity, recruitment, and retention. Rolling it back disrupts operations and progress."

Key Details:

  • Directive allows agencies discretion in implementation, with no specific timeline.
  • Hybrid schedules negotiated in contracts remain binding.

Legal Analysis:
This directive does not, as written, violate collective bargaining agreements. Hybrid telework schedules detailed in CBAs remain legally binding. Should agencies implement policies contrary to CBAs, unions must notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve.

President Kelley:
"This directive undoes decades of workplace progress. Rather than regressing, we urge the administration to focus on improving government programs for the public."

Federal Hiring Freeze Memorandum

Soundbites:

  1. "The federal workforce hasn’t grown since the 1970s, while the U.S. population has skyrocketed."
  2. "Freezing hiring worsens workforce shortages and skills gaps, undermining vital services."

Key Details:

  • Freezes civilian hiring for up to 90 days, with exceptions for national security and public safety roles.
  • Prohibits outsourcing to circumvent the freeze.

Legal Analysis:
The hiring freeze does not, on its face, abrogate CBAs. However, agencies’ implementation must align with negotiated agreements. If violations occur, unions should escalate to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, ensuring compliance and filing grievances as necessary.

President Kelley:
"This isn’t about efficiency—it’s about chaos and targeting patriotic Americans. These actions only harm the services the public relies on."

Targeting DEI Programs

Soundbites:

  1. "Merit-based systems require fairness for all, ensuring opportunity regardless of background."
  2. "Federal agencies have the lowest gender and racial pay gaps because hiring decisions are based on ability, not bias."

Key Details:

  • Ends all DEI initiatives and reviews federal employment practices for compliance with the EO.
  • Risks undermining workplace equity and military readiness, as per defense leaders.

Legal Analysis:
The EO’s directive to review employment practices must comply with existing CBAs. If agencies attempt to implement changes that conflict with CBAs, unions should notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve to uphold the negotiated terms.

President Kelley:
"DEI programs promote fairness and build a workforce that mirrors America’s diversity. Their elimination jeopardizes progress and inclusivity."

Lawsuit Against DOGE

Soundbites:

  1. "Fairness, accountability, and transparency—these are at the heart of our lawsuit."
  2. "Federal employees aren’t the problem; they are the solution. Excluding them threatens good governance."

Key Details:

  • DOGE’s composition excludes federal employees’ voices, violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
  • AFGE and partners demand fair representation and transparency in government decision-making.

Legal Analysis:
While this lawsuit focuses on transparency and accountability, it is also critical for agencies to honor CBAs. If DOGE-led initiatives infringe on CBA terms, unions should escalate issues to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve.

President Kelley:
"This fight is about fairness and integrity. Federal employees’ voices are crucial to decisions affecting their work and public service."

Reforming Federal Hiring

Soundbites:

  1. "Replacing objective criteria with vague ideals is a path to cronyism. Federal jobs should go to the most qualified, not the most connected."
  2. "Merit-based hiring ensures federal employees serve the public, not political interests."

Key Details:

  • Proposes subjective hiring criteria tied to "American ideals" and "efficiency," undermining the current merit-based system.

Legal Analysis:
This EO, as written, does not eliminate protections afforded under CBAs. Should agencies adopt hiring practices inconsistent with CBAs, unions must escalate issues to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve to protect merit-based hiring systems.

President Kelley:
"The federal government already hires and promotes exclusively on the basis of merit. The results are clear: a diverse federal workforce that looks like the nation it serves, with the lowest gender and racial pay gaps in the country. We should all be proud of that."

AFGE Continues to Debunk Misconceptions About Federal Workers

December 29th, 2024 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | Labor History | National Updates | Political | Your Rights - (0 Comments)

Source: AFGE Insider

Sen. Joni Ernst, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and other politicians have continued to make incorrect statements about the federal workforce. Their statements have eroded their own credibility and are just an attempt at tarnishing the reputations of civil servants to make it easier to fire them and contract out their jobs to for-profit corporations. 

We believe that facts matter, and AFGE will continue to debunk these misconceptions as they come in.

Myth: 

The federal government is too centralized in the Washington area, and relocating agencies around the country will make it more effective. 

Fact: 

Just 15% of our nation’s 2 million federal workers live in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The remaining 85% already live across the country, in all 50 states, in big cities and rural areas, on military installations and in our communities, and everywhere in-between. 

Myth: 

The bloated federal workforce is at an all-time high. 

Fact: 

Over the past 50 years, the number of federal workers has grown by roughly 6%. At the same time, the U.S. population has increased by 57%. The ratio of federal workers to national population has steadily decreased for the more than a half-century at this point. In 2024, the total federal workforce compensation of $293 billion amounted to just 4.3% of the federal budget. Meanwhile, federal contractors accounted for $759.2 billion, or 11.4%. If federal workers were paid equally to private sector workers, their pay would make up a 10% share of the budget.

Myth: 

Federal workers are overpaid. 

Fact: 

Federal workers earn nearly 25% less than private sector and state and local workers who perform similar jobs.

Myth: 

Federal workers don’t seem to understand or care who they work for. 

Fact: 

About 642,000 federal workers are veterans of the U.S. military. More than half (58%) of all federal workers hold jobs that directly support our troops (Army, Navy, Air Force, DoD), our veterans (VA), or our seniors (SSA, CMS). Federal workers know better than anyone who they work for – the American people – because they devote every single day to delivering vital public services that hundreds of millions of American rely on. They do not cater to any corporate contractor’s bottom line; they serve only their fellow American citizens. 

Myth: 

Federal workers have “fake jobs.” 

Fact: 

Federal workers perform essential work on behalf of everyone who calls this nation home. They’re the doctors and nurses who care for our veterans, the people who get Social Security benefits out on time, the corrections officers in federal prisons who protect us from dangerous criminals, the USDA inspectors who make sure our food supply is safe, the FEMA specialists who assist disaster survivors, the TSA screeners who protect the flying public, the border patrol agents who stop drug smugglers and human traffickers, and so much more. 

Myth: 

We only have 6% of our federal workforce actually going into work every single day. 

Fact:  

54% of federal workers hold jobs that require them to report in-person to their duty station every day... Among those whose jobs permit telework, 61.2% of working hours are spent in-person. 

Myth: 

Americans are being put on hold by bureaucrats who are phoning it in. 

Fact:  

Mischaracterizing telework as failing to show up for work is a deliberate attempt to demean and disparage federal workers and ultimately eliminate and/or outsource their jobs. Both private and public sector employers have found that hybrid telework arrangements improves employee engagement, recruitment and retention. Hybrid work arrangements actually reduce wait times and allow better service for citizens.

Myth: 

Federal workers are low-skill workers who would be unqualified for private sector employment. 

Fact:  

Federal workers are both highly skilled and highly qualified. 66% of the federal workforce has a bachelor’s degree, compared to 43% of private sector workers, while 33% of federal workers have an advanced degree, compared to just 15% of private sector workers. 

Myth: 

98% federal bureaucrats are enrolled in a taxpayer-funded pension (compared to just 15% of private sector employees with access to a defined benefit pension plan). That locks federal employees into government employment & comes with a massive cost: nearly $1.2 trillion in unfunded liabilities for the main federal pension system. The cost of pensions is a key reason why most employers have moved away from them. 

Fact:  

While federal pay continues to lag far behind private sector pay, the average yearly pension for Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirees is just $25,000. As it stands, those benefits are no match for rising costs and exorbitant health care expenses that many seniors face. Yet, even as President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and Ramaswamy plan to extend tax cuts and handouts to the wealthy, they are plotting to cut the key retirement benefits that federal workers have earned. 

Stay Ready!

December 11th, 2024 | Posted by admin in DATA UPDATE MONTH - January | Did you know? | National Updates | New Address | Political | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

The Trump Administration will waste no time dismantling the government and targeting AFGE for extinction. We can’t afford to waste a moment preparing ourselves to survive and thrive in this hostile environment. Here is one step you can take now to keep updated.

Update Your Contact Information

  • Update your contact information at www.afge.org/update so we can get you the latest information and alerts when it matters most. Sign up for text alerts: text AFGE to 59129

VOTE on Contract Updates

October 4th, 2023 | Posted by admin in Contract | Did you know? | KNOW YOUR CONTRACT | National Updates | Vote - (0 Comments)

Members please review the side-by-side comparison of old vs new contract language proposed for a MEMBERS ONLY VOTE Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 6pm CST via ZOOM invite below.

Topic: AFGE MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND RATIFICATION VOTE
Time: Oct 11, 2023 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84503649449?pwd=cWlENC9HTWNDcVcxS2xTVUpNalE5QT09

Meeting ID: 845 0364 9449
Passcode: 101123

Dial by your location

  • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 845 0364 9449
Passcode: 101123

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcriR1sIym

2023-National-Agreement-Ratification-Comparison-1Download

All Member Conference Call

September 27th, 2023 | Posted by admin in National Updates | Shutdown - (0 Comments)

Dear Member,

The possibility of a government shutdown is imminent and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to take action.

Please join us for an all members call to learn the latest updates and how AFGE is pressuring Congress to fund the government, now!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 7:00 P.M. ET
DIAL-IN NUMBER: (855) 962-1337

Please join us for this very important call.

In Solidarity,

AFGE

AFGE FIGHTS TO KEEP EMPLOYEES SAFE

June 4th, 2020 | Posted by admin in CORONAVIRUS | Did you know? | National Updates - (0 Comments)

EPA’s Dishonesty, Lies Raise Concerns Over Office Reopening Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

 

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to reopen offices in at least five of the 10 regions, but its dishonesty, lack of transparency, and at times outright lies about the reopening process have created confusion and fear among workers compelled to return to their offices amid the outbreak of the deadly virus. 

The EPA is moving forward with its plan to reopen offices in regions 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10, but unlike some other federal agencies, it has not shared with employees and their union detailed plans and analysis to support its decision to reopen the offices.  

Senior managers had earlier told employees’ union representatives they would be included in agency plans to reopen EPA offices both at the regional and national levels, but they failed to do so. The agency provided no documented justification for the decision either. Preparations to reopen these offices are already underway, and the employees were not informed until the day the process began.  

“It’s a total mystery. It’s upsetting,” said AFGE Deputy General Counsel Cathie McQuiston. “They are not meeting the legal obligation with the union.” 

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, EPA employees have adapted themselves exceptionally well, working remotely to keep the important work of the agency going.  

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler himself praised EPA workers for their seamless transition to telework and productiveness during this time. The data shows this increase in EPA productivity.  

EPA Council 238 President Gary Morton said it is particularly telling that the agency refuses to share data and plans with a workforce heavy in scientific expertise. He took issue with Wheeler’s lack of transparency and justification to reopen the offices without input from the workforce. 

“We are committed to the success of EPA, and many of us have spent the better part of our lifetimes to make it so,” Morton said. “You say the health and safety of EPA employees and their dependents is your highest priority. We beg you to keep your word.” 

CUTS TO FEDERAL BENEFITS ON THE TABLE

June 4th, 2020 | Posted by admin in Benefits | Did you know? | National Updates | Political | WORKERS COMPENSATION - (0 Comments)

White House Moves Forward with Workers Comp Cuts During Pandemic

 

The Trump administration is moving forward with its proposed cuts to federal workers’ compensation benefits despite the coronavirus outbreak. 

Under Trump’s proposal, which is part of the administration’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal, workers who are injured on the job would see steep cuts in their workers’ compensation. Here’s what the administration is proposing: 

1. Reduced benefit for claimants with dependents 

All new claims would be paid at 66 2/3% of salary regardless of dependents. Currently, OWCP wage loss compensation is at 66 2/3% of salary for claimants with no dependents and at 75% for claimants with dependents.  

2. There would be a reduced amount when the claimant reaches retirement age 

Currently, claimants can continue to get 66 2/3 or 75% of their salary as long as they continue to show inability to work due to the accepted condition – even into retirement age. The administration proposed a reduced amount when the claimant reaches retirement age:  

  • Employees injured at ages 35-54 will receive a conversion benefit of 58%  
  • Employees injured at ages 55-65 will receive a conversion benefit of 50%  
  • Employees injured at age 66 and over will receive a conversion benefit of 45% 

3. There would be a 3-day waiting period following an injury when the employee would not be paid 

For the first 45 days after a worker files a claim and until it’s accepted, the worker is entitled to continuation of pay (COP), which is paid by the agency at full salary. If the worker needs to be off work more than 45 days, then workers’ compensation kicks in with wage-loss replacement benefits at 2/3 or 3/4 of salary. This was meant to keep injured workers paid while OWCP processes the claim, and 45 days was the average time.  

Currently, injured workers are put on administrative leave the day of injury and the COP period starts the next day if their claim is accepted. 

Under the administration’s proposal, injured workers would take annual leave, sick leave, or leave without pay before the 45-day COP period begins. The three-day waiting period means an injured worker would not get workers’ compensation for the first three days. 

Savings on the backs of the injured 

The proposal came as the coronavirus is raging across the country, infecting thousands of federal workers, many of whom still do not have proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves against the virus while working on the front lines. 

By taking away these benefits from those injured while serving the American people, the administration hopes to save $212 million in 10 years.  

“This policy proposal is shocking in its plain immorality – even by the standards of this administration,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “Our civil servants have been on the front lines keeping essential services running throughout this pandemic, putting their own health and safety at risk. That risk has been compounded by the widespread inability of this administration to provide adequate safety protocols and personal protective equipment. It shows the absolute disdain this administration has for everyday working people that they would even suggest that these front-line workers’ reward for their service should be a cut in benefits if they get sick or injured while on duty.

PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK

May 3rd, 2020 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | National Updates | PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION - (0 Comments)

 

Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) is a time for us to share our stories and recognize the amazing public servants in our lives.

This is a great opportunity to network with existing and potential members around the valuable work AFGE does to support, engage, organize and mobilize public servants in the labor movement.

Use the social media resources below to share why you are #ProudToBeAFGE:

Each day during Public Service Recognition Week has a different action:

  • Monday: AFGE Member Telephone Town Hall - At 8 p.m. EDT, Members of Congress will join us to discuss their efforts to support government workers
  • Tuesday: Congressional Action Day - Make sure to sign the PPE petition here
  • Wednesday: Moment of Silence – At 12 p.m. ET join us in a moment of silence as we remember fallen public servants
  • Thursday: Tweetstorm – Go here to find out how to participate
  • Friday: AFGE Pride Day - Take a selfie in blue and gold, then post your picture with #ProudToBeAFGE

DON’T READ ON GOVTCOMPUTER

November 1st, 2019 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | National Updates - (0 Comments)

The Secret Memo: How Trump Plans to End Collective Bargaining in Government    

October 21, 2019

    

 
Categories: The Insider

This is the second segment of AFGE’s 5-part series: The Secret Memo: Inside Trump’s Plan to Destroy Unions.

Unions are a cornerstone of our democracy and middle class. As a government employee union, we work hard to make sure that federal workers are treated fairly so that they can focus on serving the American people. Happy employees are good for business, the government, and the American public. That’s why Congresses and administrations have for decades enacted laws and implemented policies that protect federal employees’ rights to bargain collectively.

But the Trump administration sees unions as enemies to be wiped out.

A leaked White House memo outlines President Trump’s plans to purge government unions and end collective bargaining in the federal government. Here’s what one bullet of that memo says exactly:

“End collective bargaining. (EO/DOD) Government unions impede the efficiency of federal operations and direct the government to put the interests of government employees first. Curtailing collective bargaining in government serves the public good. The [Civil Service Reform Act] allows the President to exempt agencies from its coverage on the basis of national security concerns.

  1. POTUS should issue an EO exempting DOD from collective bargaining.
  2. Explore the possibility of adding VA to this list. Possibly parts of DHS, State, and OPM.
  3. The TSA administrator should cease collective bargaining with security screeners.”

The administration has since issued governmentwide anti-federal worker policies, including three hostile executive orders, under the guise of reform. The leaked memo, however, revealed the administration’s real goal and confirmed what we already know: they want to get rid of unions and federal workers.

VA workers, for example, are being hit hard by new policies that took away their workplace rights, prompting AFGE and other unions to file lawsuits. The VA and our union’s National VA Council are currently negotiating a new collective bargaining contract, but the VA is trying to get rid of most if not all workplace protections and is now negotiating in bad faith, prompting the council to file a national grievance. In addition, a recent book by Secretary Shulkin claims President Trump even mulled an executive order shuttering parts of the VA.

For OPM, the administration is trying to blow it up altogether in what would be a disastrous move for workers and the apolitical civil service as we know it. The administration wants to dismantle the central personnel agency and merge parts of it with the General Services Administration (GSA) while moving other functions under political appointees at the White House in the Office of Management and Budget, all with no legal analysis to support these moves. Our union and OPM are in contract negotiation, and the administration is once again floating anti-worker proposals.

DoD is maintaining the status quo for now, but it’s only a matter of time before the administration will try to implement the anti-worker executive orders.

The Transportation Security Administration, which is part of Homeland Security, has issued a new workplace guideline that took away even more workplace rights from TSA officers – the very people who had to work 35 consecutive days without pay due to the Trump shutdown earlier this year. TSA officers are among the lowest paid employees in the federal government and have one of the highest turnovers – one in four officers quit within six months. TSA spent $16 million to hire and train those workers.

Other agencies are being hit with the same anti-worker policies and mob mentality.

Next week we will discuss what the administration’s secret memo reveals about their plan to cut federal workers’ pay, retirement, and benefits.

Outraged?

Fight back now by contributing to AFGE PAC.

Contributions to AFGE - PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Your voluntary decision to contribute more, less or not to contribute at all will not result in any favor or disadvantage in your relationship with AFGE. You must be a member to AFGE to contribute to AFGE PAC.

FEDERAL WORKERS ARE UNDER ATTACK

July 25th, 2019 | Posted by admin in Budget | Did you know? | National Updates - (0 Comments)

Federal workers’ rights are under attack!

We have to act now to pressure the Senate to stand with us by ensuring that language stays in the FY 2020 funding bill to prevent agencies from imposing collective bargaining agreements that are not fairly bargained or arbitrated.

Click here to send a letter to your Senator about the FY 2020 funding bill.

Sending this letter is another way for you to fight back against the attacks on federal workers.

In Solidarity,

AFGE