GOP looks to stop feds from doing union work on taxpayers' dime

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

Republicans are planning to introduce legislation that would strictly limit federal employees doing union business while still officially on the job.

 

GOP lawmakers, who have tried before to end the practice of "official time," which is sanctioned by the government and costs millions of employee hours each year, think they can gain ground this year since the party now has majority control of Congress.

 

"We're thinking of dropping it in the last week of March," said a House GOP source, who added that the legislation was intended to be actual reform, not just a messaging bill. "We want to get traction." Companion legislation is being prepared in the Senate, according to a GOP aide there.

 

Passage still will be an uphill fight. Previous efforts in recent Congresses have not drawn any Democrat support. The House aide said they hoped to attach the reform to must-pass legislation, such as an appropriations bill.

 

 

Official time is the term used when a federal employee is relieved of his regular duties and allowed to do union business instead while still earning his regular paycheck. It was first allowed in 1979 as part of a broader civil service reform and is a common feature of most union contracts with federal agencies. In theory, the practice compensates for other limits placed on public-sector unions, such prohibitions on striking.