Lobby Week has passed, but every day, legislation is popping up across the country proposing such injustices as ending official time, furloughing public employees, and extending probationary periods for federal employees, just to name a few. What can you do? Stay on top of the legislation and spread the word to your bargaining unit. Knowing the issues is an incredibly important recruiting tool.
Non-members are going to ask, “Why do I need a union?” The answer is simple. NFFE is fighting for them every day in Washington, to make sure bills that affect their pay, pension, and benefits don’t get passed into law. Knowing this legislation in and out will allow you to become a more effective organizer for your Local or Council.
Attached are some bills that have been proposed in Congress that affect federal workers. Five of these bills we support and five of them we are against. Click the links below to see our position on each of these bills.
Remember, since Congress has such a strong impact on the federal workforce, we must become more involved in legislation that will affect our daily lives. When more members are educated on the issues, we can become more of a driving force in letting our representatives in Congress know how we feel about the bills. Alone we can accomplish little, but together we accomplish great things!
NFFE Issue Position Papers:
NFFE-IAM Opposes Bill to Undermine Federal Workers’ Retirement Security – S. 644
NFFE-IAM Opposes Bill to Reduce or Eliminate “Official Time” – H.R. 122
NFFE-IAM Opposes Federal Workforce Reduction Act – H.R. 657
NFFE-IAM Opposes Bill to Furlough Federal Workers – H.R. 270
NFFE-IAM Opposes Bill to Extend Federal Workers’ Probationary Periods – H.R. 1470
NFFE-IAM Supports Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act – H.R. 616
NFFE-IAM Supports the Social Security Fairness Act of 2011 – H.R. 1332/S. 113
NFFE-IAM Supports Collective Bargaining for VA Health Care Providers – H.R. 807/S. 572
NFFE-IAM Supports the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act – H.R. 327
NFFE-IAM Supports the Federal Firefighter Pay Equity Act – H.R. 1068
For more information on these issues and others, go to www.NFFE.org.