AFGE Ranks 1st As Fastest Growing Large Union in U.S.
April 15, 2024
The numbers are in. AFGE grew by 5.5% in 2023, making our union the fastest growing large union in the U.S.
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The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued guidance on how agencies can assist federal workers affected by Hurricane Ian and Fiona. But AFGE is concerned that managers are given too much discretion over whether to approve weather and safety leave for teleworkers affected by the storms, leading to absurd outcomes. Managers should instead look at local conditions and allow those conditions to inform their decision.
Hurricane Ian, a category-4 storm, slammed the west coast of Florida on Sept. 28 before moving inland to the Carolinas, destroying homes and killing at least 132 people. Ian is the second-deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. behind Hurricane Katrina that killed more than 1,800 people in 2005.
Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, killing at least 31 people. Weeks after the storm, thousands are still without power.
OPM has issued guidance reminding agencies of the tools they could use to help employees who had to evacuate or are otherwise affected by the hurricanes.
According to AFGE Health and Safety Specialist Milly Rodriguez, OPM’s guidance is pretty standard and would cover most situations.
“The problem I think is with managers having discretion on granting the use of weather and safety leave for teleworking employees,” she said. “For example, it’s supposed to be allowed if the employee is available to work but has lost power. In the SSA examples I read, managers made employees go into the office only to find the phone lines were not working so they had to do other work.”
Rodriguez added that agencies should look at local conditions including road conditions and the availability of public transportation to guide their decisions. If employees cannot safely travel to an office location, they should be granted weather and safety leave, yet we hear from members it has been denied.
Florida AFL-CIO disaster relief
AFGE is joining with the Florida AFL-CIO and other labor unions to assist in the disaster relief efforts in Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian.
Here's how you can donate:
AFGE Disaster Relief Fund
AFGE partners with the Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) to manage disaster relief efforts and assist government employees as they recover. The fund is made up of donations by AFGE affiliates which are earmarked exclusively for AFGE members in need of disaster assistance.
Click here for details.
The numbers are in. AFGE grew by 5.5% in 2023, making our union the fastest growing large union in the U.S.
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AFGE and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) have reached an interim master labor agreement that will improve working conditions for 38,000 bargaining unit employees AFGE represents.
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Due to chronic staffing and attrition issues, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced it will be closing a field office in Southeast Cleveland, Ohio, a community that is 94% Black.
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