On this Labor Day, federal workers should go back to the office
Washington Examiner
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When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, government employees weren’t allowed to unionize. Now, they make up almost half of all union members. This would be unacceptable, even if they were all showing up to work. But they are not, and that adds insult to injury. President Joe Biden needs to make sure they do.
Just 10% of wage earners are members of a union, down from more than 30% in the 1950s. The number is still falling. However, the percentage of public sector workers who belong to unions is much higher, at 33%, and rising. Some 7.1 million government workers are unionized, compared to 7.2 million in the entire private sector. If current trends continue, the labor movement will soon be majority government worker.
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The godfather of labor law, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, did not trust government unions and wouldn’t allow them. When Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, he made sure governments were excluded from the definition of “employer” under the act.
“All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service,” Roosevelt said. “The very nature and purposes of government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with government employee organizations.”
Roosevelt was right, but the temptation of sluicing taxpayer money into Democratic Party coffers via union dues was too strong for the party of the Left to pass up. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10988, allowing government unions to organize, and they’ve grown rapidly ever since.
Like their private sector counterparts, most government workers were allowed to work at home during the pandemic. Unlike most private sector workers, federal employees have mostly stayed away long after the pandemic ended. According to a report by the Office of Personnel Management, just 1 in 3 federal employees are back in the office full time.
The country is suffering because of it.
Wait times are up at the Department of Veterans Affairs, passports have been delayed at the State Department, and customers can’t reach the Social Security Administration by phone. This is unacceptable, or it should be.
Biden needs to lead and order federal workers to return to the office. (Perhaps he could lead partly by example and spend more time in the Oval Office.) A little “eyeball accountability” should help productivity at every government agency.
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After federal workers return, Biden should take stock of which federal buildings are still empty. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found that 17 of 24 federal agencies were using less than a quarter of their office space. If a building isn’t needed, it should be sold to the public.
Labor Day has become a celebration of all workers, not just union members. Private sector employees work harder for their paychecks, and they deserve better service from government agencies. To make sure that happens, it is time for all federal employees to go back to work.