A task force established last year by President Biden to promote workers’ rights has issued a report with nearly 70 recommendations on what the federal government can do to promote unionization and workers’ rights in both the public and private sector.
The Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, looked at available tools and determined how to remove barriers to worker organizing and collective bargaining. To come up with the recommendations, it consulted with stakeholders, including unions, agencies, and businesses.
AFGE submitted dozens of recommendations and many were included.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is taking the lead on many of the recommendations.
“OPM is pleased to be leading the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to promote worker empowerment within the federal workforce,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “As the nation’s largest employer, the federal government can and should lead by example in encouraging worker organizing and collective bargaining.”
OPM is working with agencies to implement many of the task force’s recommendations to empower workers and remove obstacles to organizing.
It’s also planning to implement these 11 initiatives to achieve the goal:
AFGE applauds the Senate for passing an AFGE-backed bill that would allow law enforcement personnel and first responders to keep their full retirement benefits if they’re injured on the job and return to the federal workforce in another capacity. The bill, which passed the House in July, now heads to President Biden for his signature.
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AFGE and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Nov. 17 signed a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with several new benefits, including expanded telework and remote work as the two parties work together to find a new way to achieve efficiency and work-life balance.
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Since 2010, the number of Social Security beneficiaries has gone up more than 20%, but the budget for processing social security claims hasn’t kept up. In fact, it has gone down 14%, causing backlogs and delays in the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s ability to respond to families and individuals seeking Social Security benefits.
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