New Federal Workers Labor Alliance Formed
January 19, 2010
 Building on the success of the workers coalition that defeated the Bush administration personnel system at the Department of Defense last year, 21 labor organizations, including the IBEW, joined forces to form a new coalition dedicated to fighting for the interests of federal workers.
The Federal Workers Alliance will enable labor organizations representing federal workers to coordinate and provide a united front on issues affecting the civil service. This time, the scope of the alliance’s mandate will carry beyond Department of Defense personnel reforms into all federal sectors.
The interim chair of the coalition is National Federation of Federal Employee President William Dougan until the full group formally selects a permanent leader.
“This new alliance represents 13 of the 15 largest federal sector labor organizations in the United States,” says Dougan, “I am confident that these labor organizations will work together to ensure the strongest possible voice for federal workers with the Obama administration and Congress.”
“The Federal Workers Alliance is a timely and powerful development,” says IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. “Several key policies that will affect the future of federal employees will be moving through the legislative and regulatory process in the coming years. Says Hill, “Continuing to build cooperation and solidarity between unions representing federal workers will maximize the influence of these dedicated workers over those policies.”
The alliance’s top priorities in 2010 will include working with the Obama administration on implementation of its recent executive order on labor-management partnerships. It will also work with executive and legislative branches on proposed civil service reforms.
The 21 current members of the FWA, representing more than 300,000 federal workers, are: the American Federation of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); the Association of Civilian Technicians (ACT); the Federal Education Association/National Education Association (FEA/NEA); the Federation of Indian Service Employees (FISE); the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF); the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT); the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots (IOMM&P); the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA); Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA); the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO; the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA); the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE/SEIU); the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE); Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS); the Seafarers International Union; the Sheet Metal Workers International Association; and the United Power Trades Organization (UPTO).
The FWA expects to welcome more unions into the coalition over the next several weeks
Photo used under a Creative Commons License from Flickr user Jose P. Isern Comas
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