Employees in the Michigan Air National Guard have voted for AFGE to become their exclusive labor representative.
The election solidifies AFGE as the exclusive representative for all Title 5 and Title 32 bargaining unit employees in the Michigan Air National Guard. The Association of Civilian Technicians (ACT) previously represented Title 32 technicians across the state, while AFGE represented Title 5 civilians at Selfridge Air National Guard base.
Title 5 of the United States Code governs most civilian federal employees while Title 32 governs the United States National Guard.
In May, the Federal Labor Relations Authority ordered a new union election for employees in the Michigan Air National Guard after a reorganization blurred the distinction between Title 5 and Title 32 employees. The vote was 2-1 in favor of joining AFGE over ACT, according to results certified by the FLRA on Oct. 4.
AFGE District 7 National Vice President Dorothy James, whose district includes Michigan, credited the district’s organizers and national representative for their instrumental work in winning the vote.
“AFGE fought hard to win the right to represent these workers and we could not be more excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” James said.
AFGE Local 2077 now represents 602 employees in the Michigan Air National Guard, including 213 who were previously part of AFGE and 389 who were previously covered by ACT.
Most of the employees work at Selfridge Air National Guard Base performing base-wide operational and support functions, including air traffic control, civil engineering, aircraft maintenance, firefighting, and deployment.