December 7, 2006

The Surprising Rebound of Unions  (Federal Times)

In the early days of President Bush’s administration, it appeared federal unions were in for hard times.

The administration — abetted by a supportive Congress — took steps that seemed squarely aimed at marginalizing the unions. It disbanded the labor-union partnerships that existed across the government. It announced an aggressive campaign to open tens of thousands of federal jobs to contractor competition. It replaced all the members of the federal panel that resolves labor impasses with people whom unions viewed as hostile. It barred unions from the new Transportation Security Administration. And in 2003, it began efforts to dismantle the government’s 45-year-old collective bargaining rules at two of the biggest departments: Homeland Security and Defense.

But the unions fought back — in the federal courts, in Congress and, most recently, at the ballot boxes. And instead of finding themselves on the ropes, federal unions have scored an impressive string of successes that have convinced many they still have an important say over federal workplace matters.

Union officials say they knew they had a fight on their hands in the first days after President Bush assumed office. In February 2001, less than a month after his inauguration, Bush reversed President Clinton’s policy requiring agencies to strike partnerships with their employees’ unions. The reversal didn’t end labor-management cooperation, but it hurt it, said NTEU President Colleen Kelley.

“This sent a clear message to unions,” Kelley said.

Kelley said her union has been occupied with lawsuits and court battles for much of the last six years, trying to get the Bush administration to simply honor its agreements. Kelley cited as one example NTEU’s 58-month struggle to get Customs and Border Protection to pay officers for an extra sixth day of work when they attend training sessions.