U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made a stop in Rome Thursday, criticizing a move by the Trump Administration that banned unions for a number of federal employees.
The president signed an executive order last year banning collective bargaining at many federal agencies, citing security concerns.
Approximately 800 employees at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome work in financial services on tasks that include processing payroll for the Defense Department. They are employed at the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS).
Another 300 or so are employed at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome.
Schumer, the Senate’s Democratic Minority Leader, said union representation makes federal agencies stronger.
“Protecting labor rights doesn’t hurt the quality of work here at DFAS,” Schumer said. “In fact, it helps by making it easier to hire and retain workers.”
Mary Sharp is president of American Federated Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2612 which has represented the 1,100 Rome workers. She said the move to nullify union representation has really hurt morale.
“Supervisors are giving people a hard time taking their leave, their annual or sick leave, and they’re just nitpicking a lot of things,” said Sharp, who added that even though DFAS is not recognizing union representation now for the local workers, she and other union officials are still offering advice to employees who have concerns and questions.
“They’re upset and scared,” said Sharp.
Schumer is pushing for legislation that would restore and protect collective bargaining rights for federal employees. The senator said that there may also be relief for federal employees who want to be represented by a union if they win back their collective bargaining rights through legal action.
Supporting the efforts to restore the union is Utica Mayor Michael Galime, who also spoke at the press conference in Rome on Thursday. Galime noted that he’s a Republican, while Schumer is a Democrat, but the mayor said he appreciated the need for employees to have the protections they would get through union representation.
“The right to bargain is part of the values we've come to know and understand (as part of the) workforce in America,” said Galime.
