Unions Disagree with OPM Director
Not surprisingly, the two largest federal employee unions disagree with Michael W. Hager, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, who gave the Bush administration credit for survey findings that 84 percent of federal workers like their jobs.
That figure is among many findings in the Federal Human Capital Survey OPM released yesterday.
“President George W. Bush, at the beginning of his administration, made it a priority to improve the strategic management of people within the federal government,” Hager said.
“We know from our members that throughout the Bush administration federal employees have had their ability to provide key services to the American public hindered by continual contracting out, lackluster political appointees, and ever-present budget constraints,” said John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, agreed. “Most steps taken by this administration have had a seriously negative impact on federal employees,” she said.
The survey can be found here.
By
Sara Goo
|
January 9, 2009; 4:45 PM ET
| Category:
Job satisfaction
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Posted by: Dagpotter | January 12, 2009 1:42 PM | Report abuse
Pres Obama really needs to throw all the OPM appointees and their appointees, OUT!! OPM should be retooled as a working agency, serving the needs of the Federal work force. Under Bush, it lapsed into an agency of non-workers, catering to the elite and basically having no other function.
Posted by: pkbishop | January 13, 2009 4:41 PM | Report abuse
Results of surveys are always based on how the survey was designed, what questions were posed, and who were surveyed. The Federal Human Capital Survey did not capture all the aspects of working conditions in the federal government.
Posted by: halcyonplan | January 13, 2009 9:45 PM | Report abuse
"Remind me why Federal employees are unionized again? Posted by: Dagpotter"
I am not sure if that statement is sarcasm or not, but to enlighten you of your question... I work in a Navy activity that has no union. Mgmt will do whatever they want and however they want, with very little oversight and transparency to the outside world.
An organization (regardless if it govt or not) should have a union that is managed and operated by it's members (not some high paid executive). The union works with the agency/activity's management a build a contract. Within that contract are details of what is right and what is wrong concerning work conditions, work schedules, abuse and equal opportunity. Many people in management hate Unions because they so-call tread on their waters. Quite a few govt employees are brainwashed about unions because they spent 20 yrs working under a dept without a union and was told over and over how bad they are and can be. The union is there to be a negotiator and an enforcer to the contract between labor and the mgmt. Simple as that! If there is no contract guess who wins, rules and dictates the work force?
Posted by: darmar40 | January 15, 2009 10:24 AM | Report abuse
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There is a difference in liking your job and feeling able to do it as effectively as you would like. 84% of people "liking" their job does not mean that 84% are completely satisfied. Remind me why Federal employees are unionized again?