Home
District 2
Media Center
AFGE In The News

AFGE In The News

AFGE Stories

Filter:

AFGE Takes Part in Labor Department’s Black History Month

February 27, 2015

AFGE was honored to be invited to the Department of Labor’s Black History Month celebration featuring one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced – Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. AFGE was represented by National Secretary Treasurer Eugene Hudson, Jr., Council of Prison Locals President Eric Young, and Executive Assistant to the National Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Arla J. Bentley.

Read More

Categories: Civil Rights

GAO to DHS: Your Employee Morale Still in the Dumps

February 27, 2015

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees don’t need another threat of a shutdown to make them even more miserable. They are already the least happy group of employees in the federal government. DHS has been either at or near the bottom of every government wide employee satisfaction survey. That fact is once again pointed out by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which put this chronic problem on its annual high-risk list for 2015.

Read More

Categories: DHS

We Need a Speed Bump, Not Fast Track

February 27, 2015

Twenty years ago, NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) was sold to Americans as a job-creating, economy-stimulating trade deal. But 20 years later, we know we have been duped. NAFTA cost the United States more than 1 million manufacturing jobs because of imports from Canada and Mexico or the relocation of factories to those countries. And now the administration and some in Congress are seeking authority to fast track international trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – which is being negotiated and modeled after NAFTA but involves 11 Asian and Latin American countries.

Read More

Categories: Workers' Rights, Outsourcing , Privatization

For These Married TSOs, Shutdown Comes with Double the Anxiety

February 26, 2015

Being a TSA officer is not easy. It’s a highly stressful job because a single mistake could mean life or death for hundreds of people on board an airplane. And because of their crucial mission, you’d think that TSA officers would get all the support they need to do their job, right? Well, not exactly. Congress is actually threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of TSA. And that means TSA officers will still have to work because their job is considered essential. They just won’t get paid.

Read More

Categories: TSA, DHS

VA Suicide Hotline Documentary Wins Oscar

February 25, 2015

The VA Crisis Hotline Call Center receives about 22,000 calls every month from veterans and active-duty military members who have lost hope and are thinking about committing suicide. The center’s 275 health science specialists work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to listen to those who cry out for help. The HBO documentary, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1," that just won an Oscar last weekend.

Read More

Categories: VA, Veterans

Past African American Super Bowl and Academy Awards Winners

February 24, 2015

Since February is also the month where most Americans are glued to their televisions, watching two of the most highly rated television events of the year - The Super Bowl and The Academy Awards - we thought it would be fitting to highlight how African Americans have shaped these two iconic events.

Read More

Categories: Civil Rights

Online Registration Open for AFGE JNS Scholarship

February 24, 2015

The registration process for the AFGE John N. Sturdivant Scholarship (JNS) is open online for the 2015-2016 FEEA scholarship season. The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) is a non-profit organization devoted to helping civilian federal and postal employees through annual education based scholarships, emergency assistance and child care subsidies.

Read More

Categories: Member Profile

This Bill Ensures Retirement Fairness for Correctional Officers

February 20, 2015

Congress needs to pass an AFGE-backed bill recently introduced that would ensure retirement fairness for correctional officers who risk the lives every single day keeping the most dangerous felons behind bars. The bill, S. 380 – introduced by Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, would exempt correctional officers who retire before age 55 with 20 years of service from the federal tax law’s 10% additional tax penalty for early withdrawals from the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

Read More

Categories: BOP

Army Corps of Engineers Needs to Come Clean about Its Pilot Project

February 20, 2015

It’s a new year, and federal employees working for the Army Corps of Engineers (ACoE) are not sure what’s in store for them. The agency is embarking on a five-year pilot project that could involve handing over control of its locks and dams, which are vital to the nation’s security, to for-profit companies. It’s talking with industry about these possibilities but is not involving the union, whose members will be directly impacted by the project.

Read More

Categories: Privatization

Mass Transit Benefit Up and Permanent

February 20, 2015

A bill has been introduced to make sure that those using mass transit receive the same tax treatment as those driving to work. Rep. Pete King of New York has introduced the 2015 Commuter Benefit Parity Act, which would set the monthly transit benefit cap for both commuters and drivers at $235 a month. The bill covers all commuters, including federal employees.

Read More

Categories: Member Benefits

Caught on Camera: Lawmakers Speak Out

February 19, 2015

When lawmakers say they want to take away federal employees’ rights, this congressman’s response is perfect:

Read More

Categories: Videos, Congress

The Veterans Have Spoken: No One Does it Better than the VA

February 19, 2015

It’s official: Since its November debut, only a handful of veterans have opted to seek care from private-sector providers under the controversial Choice Card privatization program. In fact, it has been used by just 3% of veterans who are eligible, or 27,000 veterans out of 700,000. The number is even smaller when compared with the 9 million veterans who currently use VA health care.

Read More

AFGE Celebrates Black History Month

February 18, 2015

The month of February is recognized as Black History Month. This year's theme is "A Century of Black Life, History and Culture". AFGE’s Women’s and Fair Practices Departments were excited to kick off this month's celebration at our annual Civil Rights Luncheon at the 2015 AFGE Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference.

Read More

Categories: Civil Rights

VA Secretary Receives Enthusiastic Welcome at AFGE Legislative Conference

February 13, 2015

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald received a rock star welcome as he addressed a packed house at the AFGE National VA Council’s meeting early Sunday morning. The Council meeting is part of AFGE’s annual Legislative Conference being held here in Washington, D.C. Feb. 8-11. Secretary McDonald's appearance this weekend was the first time a VA Secretary has spoken at a VA Council meeting at the legislative conference.

Read More

Categories: VA

This Bill Could Save Correctional Officers’ Lives

February 13, 2015

A critical bill has been introduced in the Senate, and its passage could mean life or death for Bureau of Prisons officers. The bill, S. 368, would allow officers to carry their personal firearms while they commute to-and-from work by requiring wardens of BOP-operated institutions to provide a secure storage area located outside of the secure perimeter of those institutions.

Read More

Categories: BOP