FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2023
January 12, 2023
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
Proposed Bill Ordering Federal Agencies to Curb Telework Policies Is a ‘Political Misdirection,’ Union Leader Says
“Government employees show up for work every day,” AFGE President Says
WASHINGTON – American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley today issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act:
“At a time when agencies across government are struggling to hire and retain a new generation of government employees, Congress should be focused on improving pay, benefits, and career development opportunities. Instead, we see message bills like the SHOW UP Act that denigrate the federal workforce and undermine recruitment and retention.
“It’s important to remember that more than half of the federal workforce never worked remotely, even in the most dangerous period of the pandemic. Health care workers at the VA, DoD civilians, law enforcement at the Bureau of Prisons and Border Patrol, TSA officers, FEMA specialists – all showed their tremendous commitment to their agencies’ missions not only throughout the COVID crisis, but through numerous government shutdowns as well. Their co-workers who were able to continue government operations via telework performed no less heroically through these crises.
“Just this week with the FAA having to ground domestic and international flights, we saw the consequences of the kind of political misdirection embodied by this bill and the attendant refusal to face up to the real challenges the government must address. Congress should be writing bills to fix the real problems affecting government services for the American people such as outdated systems and technology, crumbling infrastructure, and understaffing. Each of these is a direct result of a bankrupt political ideology that prescribes cuts to the federal budget no matter how much damage ensues.
“In spite of the misinformation that forms the basis of a bill like the SHOW UP Act, the truth is that government employees show up for work every day – whether they’re working in an office, hospital, prison, military base, or from their homes. Anyone who suggests otherwise is deliberately misleading the American public.”
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