AFGE is urging the Senate to reject the Trump administration’s nomination of Dale Cabaniss to be director of the Office of Personnel Management, citing her past failures as head of another government agency, the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Under Cabaniss’s leadership, the FLRA was in tatters with 55% of its decisions issued during her tenure overturned on appeal. In addition, an employees’ job satisfaction survey indicated poor morale among FLRA employees, resulting in a loss of more than 40% of its career workforce and a significant drop-off in productivity.

Like the FLRA, OPM is an extremely important agency. By its own description, OPM “provides human resources leadership and support to Federal agencies and helps the Federal workforce achieve their aspirations as they serve the American people,” with a mission “to lead and serve the Federal Government in enterprise human resource management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted effective civilian workforce.”

“That is a serious responsibility. The job should go to someone with a record of effective employee management, one who understands the importance of an apolitical civil service and employee morale and respects the mission of the agency,” said AFGE Legislative Director Alethea Predeoux in a letter to the Senate. “It is essential that she or he be someone with a solid record of federal personnel management. It is clear that Dale Cabaniss's professional career demonstrates that she neither supports the mission of OPM nor possesses the appropriate experience to lead this important agency.”