AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. this week named AFGE’s top priority following the midterm election and the change in leadership in the Senate.
President Cox said AFGE will focus our energy on building support in the new Congress for the bread-and-butter issues that our members care most about: securing a meaningful pay raise that closes the gap between the federal and private sectors, rejecting further attempts to balance the budget on the backs of government employees, and ending sequestration while preserving the federal programs and services that Americans depend on.
Most immediately, President Cox said the outgoing Congress needs to pass a federal budget for the remainder of the 2015 fiscal year that will allow agencies to accomplish their priorities and fulfill their obligations to taxpayers and employees.
“The leadership may have changed in Congress, but that doesn’t change our focus,” President Cox said. “We will work with anyone from any political party who is willing to stand up and support working people and good government, but we will fight when we must to protect the interests of government employees and the programs and services they deliver.”
“At the end of the day we’re always going to do what’s best for hardworking government employees, and we’re going to use every resource at our disposal to protect their pay, benefits, and jobs from whatever challenges lay ahead,” President Cox added. “We are going to redouble our efforts to organize more job sites and recruit more members, so we are even better positioned to fight on their behalf.”
